Performing Arts and Humanities Building

The university’s acclaimed $123 million, 176,000-SF Performing Arts and Humanities Building (PAHB) enhances the university’s teaching, research, and public outreach, heightening the visibility of the arts and humanities as major components of the campus and community life. To accommodate the myriad of uses and programmatic requirements, the building was constructed in two phases.

Phase 1 spaces included:

• Department of English, including writing labs, seminar rooms, and administration and faculty offices
• Department of Theatre, which entailed a 250-seat proscenium theatre, a 125-seat black box theater, rehearsal studios, a technical design lab, a costume shop, a scene shop, dressing rooms, a conference room, rehearsal studios, and administration and faculty Offices
• Dresher Center for Humanities, including the Humanities Scholar Program, Linehan Artist Scholars Program, Shakespeare Society of America conference room, study room, and administration and faculty offices

Phase 2 spaces entailed:

• Department of Music, including a 350-seat concert hall, instrument ensemble room, large ensemble rooms, music tech/keyboard room, percussion studio, choral recording room, music faculty research studio, conference room, and administration and faculty offices
• Department of Dance, encompassing dance studios, computer dance studio, sonic computer lab, warm-up studio, locker rooms, and administration and faculty offices
• Department of Philosophy, which entailed a conference breakout room, a seminar classroom, and administration and faculty offices

The Concert Hall’s uses are particularly wide-ranging, including choral and instrumental ensemble performances, student recitals, choral rehearsals, lectures, and electronically composed music performed via the installed surround sound system.

Construction of the PAHF building required expansion of the existing UMBC Central Plant and extension of the existing utility tunnel to provide electrical, high-temperature heating water, and chilled water to the building.