Universities at Shady Grove (USG) is a collaboration sponsored by the University System of Maryland (USM) that consolidates programs formerly hosted by various Maryland public institutions in one suburban facility. USM created the Camille Kendall Academic Center (formerly known as Shady Grove Educational Facility III) to satisfy workforce needs and provide educational opportunities for those associated with the local biomedical industry, housing these programs in a high-performance, flexible building that will accommodate future changes in technology and curriculum. Although Cannon Design was commissioned to create a building that would achieve a LEED Silver rating, the resulting multitude of sustainable features ultimately qualified the center for LEED Gold.
Special Design Features Now the largest green higher-ed building in the state of Maryland, and the first in the university system to achieve a LEED Gold rating, the Camille Kendall Academic Center features a vegetated roofing system that reduces heating and cooling costs, and stormwater runoff by 25 percent; abundant natural light; and advanced water-efficient technologies that improve water savings to 44-percent below LEED baselines.
Each floor of the classroom wing is conceived as a neighborhood (or "Street"), with a variety of learning spaces served by an efficient, double-loaded corridor system running east to west. Each "Street" is defined by a collection of movement paths and gathering nodes to promote social interaction; breakout rooms in each neighborhood supplement the learning environment.
