Tall & Urban News

The Henrietta Lacks Research Building, named as a part of the legacy of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman from Baltimore County whose cell samples have laid the foundation for numerous scientific research advancements, is a new research building on the John Hopkins medical campus in East Baltimore. North Carolina-based vines Architecture revealed the design in late November 2022. 

The new building will include space for education and research and classrooms and meeting rooms for both the university and the larger East Baltimore community. It will include 34,000 square feet (3,158 square meters) of space. Renderings show two connected structures with transparent facades. The taller building features a criss-crossing pattern across its main face, while the smaller one, designed with a more linear grid on its front elevation, has a landscaped rooftop. The design was worked on in conjunction with surviving relatives of Lacks to create a design that reflected who she was. 

“It is exciting to know what the building named in honor of my grandmother, Henrietta Lacks, will look like from the outside captivating her legacy. I’m happy to see it presented to the Baltimore community,” said Jeri Lacks Whye, who serves as a member of the Henrietta Lacks Building Advisory Committee alongside four other family members along with East Baltimore residents and university officials.

For more on this story, go to Architects' Newspaper.