APL’s New Campus Master Plan

Abstract

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has had a long history of campus land planning, beginning with its purchase of a 290-acre property in Laurel, Maryland in 1952. With the APL campus currently encompassing nearly 500 acres including owned and leased properties, the Laboratory faces several challenges in planning for future development. First it is hitting ceilings on available land on which to build. The continued tightening of government regulations, including environmental and zoning requirements, limits APL’s property development potential to approximately 250 acres. Second is the increasing complexity of the facilities APL requires today. Facilities often need to be uniquely tailored to meet specific sponsor or program needs, limiting their ability to be repurposed later. Third is the continued land planning efforts necessary to address the ever-evolving workplace requirements and needs of APL staff. Beyond simply indicating where staff are to work, development plans must fully consider how staff need to work. In response to these challenges, the Laboratory undertook a new master planning effort for its campus. The subsequent new Campus Master Plan, developed during the Campus Development Process, is grounded in the Laboratory’s core values and addresses the evolving aspects of technology, sponsor needs, environmental and regulatory requirements, and workplace culture and effectiveness.