Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Institute

ZGF Architects LLP is the project design team for the institute. Baltimore’s own Whiting-Turner Contracting Company with Mahogany, Inc. are the construction managers.

The DSAI project will feature two four-story buildings along Remington Avenue and Wyman Park Drive, connected by both an overhead pedestrian walkway and an underground service tunnel to minimize delivery truck and traffic disruption.

The building is organized into “research neighborhoods,” purposely collocating disciplines including bioengineering, materials, energy, and environment with thematic zones dedicated to areas such as health and medicine, scientific discovery, and engineering systems. Unlike traditional academic silos, these groupings will create a world-class AI space for cross-disciplinary research and translation.

Site mobilization for DSAI will begin in early 2025 and construction is projected to be complete by 2029. Prior to mobilization and throughout the life of the project, JHU and Whiting-Turner will host community meetings to address what to expect during construction, including:

• Construction schedule and hours;
• Parking for construction workers;
• Process for completing property surveys for those eligible and interested;
• Measures to mitigate construction noise and dust;
• Truck routes as approved by the City of Baltimore in the project Maintenance of Traffic Plan (MOT);
• Opportunities for local businesses and labor to participate in the construction;

The project team recognizes the importance of containing and reducing light pollution from the DSAI building and will implement strategies to prevent the spread of unwanted light, both during construction and after the building opens. The construction team will limit the use of bare bulb fixtures that shed light beyond the project site, while maintaining adequate light levels at night for safety. The final design includes exterior fixtures that aim light downward, illuminating surfaces for safety without spreading unwanted light beyond pedestrian pathways. Additionally, the design team will thoughtfully study window placement, orientation, and treatment to reduce light transmittance to nearby residences. Sun shading applied to protect the building from solar heat gain and glare will also curtail the range of night-time illumination leaving the building.

Trade contractors will utilize JHU-owned parking structures and shuttles from Eastern High School.

Johns Hopkins University recently announced a new Climate Action and Sustainability Plan, a guiding university-wide framework that charts our environmental commitments across operations, academics, and community partnerships. The plan includes a section focused on stewarding our built and natural environments.

In accordance with the plan, the DSAI buildings are following a new set of rigorous sustainability requirements for capital projects and will be designed to achieve USGBC LEED Gold Rating and will be net-zero-ready.

In 2014, Johns Hopkins University performed an Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) on the current Homewood Early Learning Center (ELC) site and worked with the Controlled Hazardous Substance Enforcement Section of the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to ensure compliance with existing environmental regulations. As part of this project, another ESA has been conducted to research the current and historical uses of the property and assess any impacts on the soil or groundwater beneath the property that could pose a threat to the environment and/or human health. An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) will be in place during construction to direct our site contractors in the safe handling and disposal of materials anticipated to be excavated from the site.

Before final approval, MDE will post a 14-day public notification period, during which information will be published on MDE’s ePermits website. Interested parties may submit concerns about Erosion and Sediment Control to the approval authority (City DPW) and to MDE.

Rules and regulations pertaining to project requirements are available on the Department of Public Works website: https://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/

Approximately 20 acres of the Homewood Campus is a declared Forest Conservation Easement (FCE). The FCE runs along the western edge of the campus and borders the City’s Stony Run Park. JHU’s FCE and the woodlands found in Stony Run Park provide a natural habitat for a variety of species native to Central Maryland. JHU is committed to preserving this unique and treasured feature rarely found on American urban university campuses. To that end, JHU will engage an environmental scientist to advise on protecting Stony Run Creek from groundwater contamination generated by construction activity, continue to consult with Dr. Susan Elbin, Conservation Scientist Emerita and ornithologist for the New York City Bird Alliance, for façade bird strike prevention, and perform an inventory of species that inhabit the FCE and surrounding area. JHU will also consult an ornithologist who specializes in the care of Barred Owls in their natural environment.

More information about JHU and the local environment can be found on JHU’s Sustainability website.

Steward Green, an environmental firm with offices in New Jersey and Maryland, has been engaged to perform a wildlife inventory of the forest conservation adjacent to the DSAI project. They will be documenting flora and fauna, as well as avian, land-based, and aquatic species, over the course of 2025. This will allow the team to capture data for both migratory and non-migratory species and give a complete picture of the biodiversity of the area. Wildlife trail camera and avian audio recordings will be utilized for continuous site monitoring during the survey period, which will be supplemented with in-person field surveys by biologists.

Steward Green will also advise on means to protect Stony Run Creek from groundwater contamination during construction activity, including continuous water quality monitoring of Stony Run Creek and regular site inspections during construction. 

• The City of Baltimore stormwater management (SWM) program follows the State of Maryland program. The procedures to follow are detailed in the 2000 Maryland Stormwater Design Manual, volumes I and II. The DSAI site is classified as a “redevelopment site” due to over 40% existing impervious surface.
• Before final approval, DPW will upload a Public Notice for the project. There will be a 7-14 day period for the public to provide comments/questions.

• Design and permitting for erosion and sediment control are routed through the city DPW for review and approval.

• Design and permitting for forest conservation are routed through the DOP’s Office of Sustainability.
• The city follows the Maryland Forest Conservation Act and has a Baltimore City Supplement to the Department of Natural Resources State Forest Conservation Manual.