Courtroom-to-Lab Conversion: Adaptive Reuse for Next-Gen STEM Education
UMBC transformed a former courtroom in the historic Catonsville Courthouse into a cutting-edge Operational Technology Cyber Range, supporting advanced research and workforce development in cybersecurity and engineering. All images: Lisa Helfer
The University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) recently acquired the former Catonsville District Courthouse building—located within the campus' original, 1965 boundary—to support the expansion of its computing, cybersecurity, and engineering studies. In addition to restoring UMBC's historic footprint, the courthouse provided space to house these high-demand disciplines and the facilities necessary to turn prospective students into career-ready graduates for employers across the state of Maryland. Converting its old courtrooms into state-of-the-art classrooms and lab spaces, however, would require some creative design engineering.
The new Operational Technology Cyber Range for UMBC's Center for Research in Emergent Manufacturing (CREM) is one of the more substantial and complex conversions. Despite its unassuming, 1,300-sf size, adapting the former courtroom with all the required technology components and support systems, while achieving the aesthetic goals for the space, was no small job.
Partnering with UMBC, RMF Engineering—as the prime consultant and managing a team of subconsultants—worked within the existing infrastructure to capitalize on its advantages for lab use, while implementing key changes to facilitate the transformation.
Christian Alexander, project manager, facilities management, design and construction services at University of Maryland Baltimore County; and Stephen Devon, PE, LEED AP, CxA, senior project manager and electrical engineer in RMF Engineering's Baltimore buildings division, share more below.
Q: What, exactly, is CREM? How does the new Cyber Range support UMBC's goals in developing this program?
Christian Alexander: The Center for Research in Emergent Manufacturing (CREM) is a leader in digital manufacturing, Industry 4.0 research and training, and cybersecurity research and training, as well as the creation of compliant cloud computing systems and digital enterprises for the global supply chain. CREM focuses on cybersecurity and Industry 4.0 education for students, veterans, DOD agencies, small businesses, and manufacturing companies, in addition to building training exercises for manufacturers to achieve CMMC Level 2 compliance. Through the successful offering of CyMOT, a platform for offering synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid courses in cybersecurity and Industry 4.0, CREM has educated more than 300 manufacturers.
The new, state-of-the-art Operational Technology Cyber Range further strengthens this program, offering both an Industry 4.0 miniaturized Smart Factory Floor and an Industry 4.0 Smart Grid. The range also incorporates both physical and cloud computing systems to support in-person and remote learning, with an emphasis on OT cybersecurity. We are one of only five cyber ranges in the United States that focuses on Industry 4.0, digitization, and augmented reality/virtual reality systems.
Q: What about the Catonsville Courthouse was appealing to UMBC? Why was this particular courtroom chosen for the new robotics and technology demo lab?
UMBC’s new Operational Technology Cyber Range at CREM features a miniaturized Smart Factory Floor and Smart Grid to support cutting-edge Industry 4.0 and OT cybersecurity training—making it one of only five such cyber ranges in the US focused on digitization and immersive technologies.
Christian Alexander: The old courthouse is situated just on the outside of the campus loop road, located on land designated as part of UMBC's original campus. The property was initially transferred to the state in 1977 to build the courthouse, which opened five years later and remained in operation for nearly four decades. Once its functions had relocated to a new facility, the university saw it as an opportunity to grow its STEM offering.
Key to this was having a space large enough to support and showcase the cyber security and robotics program. This particular courtroom was chosen strategically because of its location near the main entrance of the building, which makes it easy for visitors to stop by and observe research in-action.
Stephen Devon: It was the right square footage and ceiling height to accommodate the technology, AV equipment, and infrastructure needed to adapt the space for students. Additionally, the room's HVAC had been sized for court proceedings, so its capacity was large enough to cool all the new hardware and keep students comfortable
Q: What were UMBC's goals for the space in terms of its design?
Christian Alexander: The main goal was to create a space that is visually impactful, functional, and provides opportunity for the future growth of the CREM program.
We wanted the Cyber Range to have an industrial look that also maintained a connection to the university, which informed much of the design approach and inspired the palette for the finishes. The black on the mesh partition, the gold on the wall, carpet, chairs, and the grey of the ceiling and steel beam that RMF incorporated all reinforce the connection back to UMBC.
Q: What were some of the key design changes in adapting the courtroom for students?
Stephen Devon: The available headspace allowed for the addition of a prefabricated aluminum truss system to mount cameras—used to record and broadcast demos and tests—and other equipment needed to support the learning below.
Christian Alexander: This aluminum truss is both visually impactful and integral to the function of the Cyber Range. It supports the displays the researchers use to monitor their work, as well as the various AV cameras utilized to monitor the physical equipment, while contributing to the industrial aesthetic we were aiming to achieve.
Stephen Devon: To keep the visual plane clear, all cords, cables, and connections needed to be concealed. A shallow raised floor cable trench system, covered by removable carpet tiles, brings power from a local panel board and IT wiring from the building's IDF room to respective outlets. Its height of only a few inches allowed for a very subtle transition from the existing floor height at the entrances to the raised floor itself. It took significant coordination between all the different elements in the room to make sure this system accomplished its intended use.
Vertical troughs built into the classroom's walls channel the wiring up, over, and around to maintain openness.
Q: Were there any other important design considerations?
Christian Alexander: To Steve's point, clean sight lines were key. The low-profile, raised access flooring system and the vertical metal raceway both achieve this goal while providing space to accommodate the growth of the CREM program and new equipment needs without impacting the layout or design of the Cyber Range. The raceway is also flush with the rear wall and finished to match the gypsum walls, so both systems are well concealed.
The design also incorporated low profile back boxes behind all of the displays and mounted AV cameras to conceal the AV network encoders for each device and maintain the visual impact we wanted.
Q: Did anything need to change structurally to accommodate all this equipment?
To preserve a clean, open aesthetic, UMBC’s new cyber range classroom uses a shallow raised floor and hidden wall troughs to discreetly route power and data wiring throughout the space.
Stephen Devon: As part of the design, a metal mesh screen separates the classroom and lab space with a set of top-mounted rolling glass doors at the center—reminiscent of a robotics competition cage. To support the glass doors and screening while still creating an open space, a W12x45 beam spanning the entire width of the room was added between the existing block walls, and filled with grout to carry the weight. The beam was too large to install in one piece, so engineered bolted joints were designed to complete the installation.
The existing tile ceiling was removed to expose the structure and reinforce the industrial look of the new space. The ductwork needed to be redesigned and rerouted, as a result. The existing rectangular ductwork was replaced with a layout of spiral duct, which ultimately became a visual feature that compliments the design intent.
To carry the industrial theme through, new stem suspended low bay lighting fixtures were provided. To both conserve energy and enhance the flexibility of the space, the lighting is controlled by multiple dimmable zones, and motion sensors were added to ensure lights switch off when the room is unoccupied.
Q: How are the students liking the lab now that they've moved in?
Christian Alexander: Everyone is exceptionally pleased with how the Cyber Range has turned out. The space is engaging, and the functionality it provides has improved the support the researchers have at their disposal. Both researchers and students are happy to be in a space that was designed to reflect the importance of the work that they are conducting therein.
