The University of Maryland community has long recognized the campus' iconic McKeldin Mall as the "heart of campus." Geometriclly, however, one would need to look north, to UMD's Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium, home to the Terp baseball team. Although the baseball stadium—and the adjoining athletic fields—represents the dividing line between where students live and study, it does not have the makings of the campus' epicenter. Instead, this athletic "core" of campus is both a physical and social division, obstructing student movement between north and south, and forwarding a disconnect between "students" and "student athletes."
In 2016, a multi-disciplinary team of anthropology and architecture students examined this space with a vision for the future; one that connects campus and community more holistically. This master plan alternative breaks down the physical and perceptional barriers through design, realizing the vibrancy—and potential—of the "heart" of campus.