June 24, 2025
UMBC Transforms Courthouse into High-Tech Cyber Lab
RMF’s Steve Devon, Senior Project Manager in the Baltimore Buildings Division, shares insights on the University of Maryland Baltimore County's (UMBC) courthouse-to-lab conversion in the Lab Design News article highlighting the project’s adaptive reuse for cutting-edge STEM education.
The University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) has transformed a former district courthouse into a cutting-edge Operational Technology Cyber Range, which is part of the Center for Research in Emergent Manufacturing (CREM). This adaptive reuse project not only reclaims space within UMBC’s original 1965 campus boundary but also expands the university’s capacity for hands-on education in cybersecurity, Industry 4.0, and digital manufacturing.
RMF Engineering, led by Senior Project Manager and Electrical Engineer Steve Devon, served as the prime consultant for this complex conversion. The effort required thoughtful coordination across infrastructure, AV, and HVAC systems to create a visually striking, future-ready learning environment. Featuring custom truss-mounted cameras, a shallow raised floor cable trench system and hidden wall troughs, and an industrial design aesthetic, the new lab is a prime example of how engineering and education can come together to serve the next generation.
Read the full Q&A with UMBC’s Christian Alexander and RMF’s Steve Devon on the Lab Design News website to learn how this former courtroom became a high-tech learning space with lasting impact.
Photo Credit: Lisa Helfer