Henry Adams provided the MEP and fire protection engineering design for the $2.2M, 21,000 SF renovation within the Barney Building for the Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund. The project includes interior demolition of existing office suites and converting this space into 24 sleeping rooms with common areas for visiting guests. Other spaces include lounges, kitchenettes, cafe seating, gym/fitness area, business center, and laundry room. 

The National Federation of the Blind HQ hosts people from all over the world. This renovation supports these guests in their travels by creating comfortable accommodations that specifically make their stay easier and more enjoyable. The space is cut up into two large rooms, a gym, and 24 sleeping rooms. The first large lounge room features a grand piano, a wood burning fire place, a stone fountain, and plenty of comfortable seating areas. The second large room has exposed brick down one side and features a TV lounge area, dining space, and a full kitchen. A unique architectural feature of this room are the demising walls that separate the lounge space from the hallway of sleeping rooms. These demising walls have hole cut outs in a grid formation that support writing in braille. These walls span down the entire room, there are buckets of rubber balls near each wall. These balls can be inserted into the walls to create words and phrases in braille. 

The renovation also includes a fitness gym as well as sleeping/guest rooms. Of the 24 sleeping rooms, each room has its own dedicated bathroom with a shower. There are two additional bathrooms with showers located next to the fitness gym.

Additional Information:

Location	Baltimore, MD
Construction Value	$2,200,000
Owner	National Federation for the Blind
Architect	Inquiry Architecture + Design

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