University of Maryland, Baltimore Tops Off $120M Net-Zero Social Work Building Downtown

University of Maryland, Baltimore marked a major construction milestone Feb. 25, 2026, when workers lifted and set the final steel beam atop a six-story, $120 million School of Social Work at 600 W. Lexington Street. The 127,000-square-foot building is being billed as the first net-zero emissions building in downtown Baltimore and the first net-zero building within the University System of Maryland.

UMB President Bruce Jarrell noted the project’s net-zero ambition as part of the campus’s broader commitment to renewable energy. Planned systems listed by project materials include geothermal wells, rooftop solar panels, and a green roof. The facility will consolidate the School of Social Work’s programs, bringing the Master of Social Work and PhD programs together under one roof instead of the six separate locations the school currently occupies.

The topping-off ceremony followed construction traditions: university officials, construction partners, students, and employees signed the final beam before it was hoisted into place. A signed steel member bearing the American flag and an evergreen tree was raised ceremonially, signaling the hand-off of construction between major trades on site. Photographs of the beam lift and the building’s rise above Greene Street were credited to Ed Gunts.

Construction on the project began with a groundbreaking in October 2024. University project pages and local reporting list mid-2027 as the scheduled opening and occupancy date. Campus materials describe interior programming that includes offices, classrooms, and communal gathering spaces designed to provide additional and updated space, enhance functionality, and accommodate new teaching modalities for social work education.

The site at the intersection of North Greene and West Lexington streets is on the north side of the UMB campus and is framed by the university as a “prominent and welcoming new campus entry point.” University reporting places the School of Social Work building as an anchor for the West Lexington Corridor Project, an initiative the university says will create a college-town feel through new housing for students and faculty and the public, additional retail, and a recreational complex with indoor and outdoor components.

Project administrators point readers to the UMB Design and Construction office at 620 West Lexington Street, Office Level 6, Baltimore, MD 21201, reachable at 410-706-3100 for further information. The university also maintains construction live-view cameras with views from the northeast corner of Greene and Saratoga and the southeast corner of Greene and Lexington.

With the final beam in place and sustainability systems specified, the School of Social Work building is positioned to be both a new academic home for MSW and PhD students and a visible test case for net-zero construction in downtown Baltimore when it opens in mid-2027.