A new nine-story, 350,000 sf biomedical research and education facility under construction at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester, Mass., will accommodate larger class sizes and extensive lab space. The facility will support more than 70 principal investigators studying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias, and neurodegenerative diseases.
The additional space also permits campus expansion of facilities to help meet the needs for more physicians, graduate nurses, life sciences researchers, and other health sciences professionals. The project is in line with the recommendation from the Association of American Medical Colleges that medical schools identify ways of helping meet the growing physician shortage.
The $325 million building will host co-location of the Horae Gene Therapy Center, the Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, the Program in Molecular Medicine, and the new Program in Human Genetics & Evolutionary Biology. The new structure will complete the west face of the Campus Green and require the removal of a portion of a parking garage. The new building will connect with two other structures through a new system of sky bridges on the second level and below grade.
The sustainability target is LEED Gold with aspirations to net-zero energy usage. The architecture integrates high performance systems with a double-skin façade and geothermal heat pumps. The geothermal heating and cooling system will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the building by 55% compared to serving HVAC needs exclusively with the campus power plant.
Moving certain departments and programs to the new building will open up space for more than 30 laboratories in existing spaces. The relocation of the molecular medicine department will allow space to be leased to companies in the UMass Medicine Science Park.
“Some may be surprised to learn that UMass Chan Medical School actually increased its funded research during the pandemic,” said Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor, executive deputy chancellor, provost, and dean of the School of Medicine. “But we were not surprised at all. The gifted research community here is deeply committed to advancing our efforts to cure disease and alleviate suffering.”
On the Building Team:
Owner: UMass Chan Medical School & UMass Building Authority
Design architect: ZGF Architects
Architect of record: Architectural Resources Cambridge (ARC)
MEP Engineers: BR+A Consulting Engineers & Architectural Engineers, Inc.
Structural engineer: RSE Associates
Construction Manager: Shawmut Design and Construction
Related Stories
University Buildings | Sep 4, 2024
UC San Diego’s new Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building will support research and teaching in both health and biological sciences
The University of California San Diego has approved plans for a new Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building, with construction starting this fall. The 200,000-sf, six-level facility will be the first building on the UC San Diego campus to bridge health science research with biological science research and teaching.
University Buildings | Aug 12, 2024
Planning for growing computer science programs
Driven by emerging AI developments and digital transformation in the business world, university computer science programs are projected to grow by nearly 15% by 2030.
Education Facilities | Aug 4, 2024
A former supersonic wind tunnel becomes a new educational facility for transportation design
The Mullin Transportation Design Center at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., provides access for full-scale vehicular models, replicating a professional design studio.
University Buildings | Aug 1, 2024
UC Riverside’s student health center provides an environment on par with major medical centers
The University of California, Riverside's new Student Health and Counseling Center (SHCC) provides a holistic approach to wellness for students throughout the UC Riverside campus. Designed by HGA and delivered through a design-build partnership with Turner Construction Company, SHCC provides healthcare offerings in an environment on par with major medical centers.
Student Housing | Jul 31, 2024
The University of Michigan addresses a decades-long student housing shortage with a new housing-dining facility
The University of Michigan has faced a decades-long shortage of on-campus student housing. In a couple of years, the situation should significantly improve with the addition of a new residential community on Central Campus in Ann Arbor, Mich. The University of Michigan has engaged American Campus Communities in a public-private partnership to lead the development of the environmentally sustainable living-learning student community.
Adaptive Reuse | Jul 30, 2024
Empty mall to be converted to UCLA Research Park
UCLA recently acquired a former mall that it will convert into the UCLA Research Park that will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, as well as programs across other disciplines. The 700,000-sf property, formerly the Westside Pavilion shopping mall, is two miles from the university’s main Westwood campus. Google, which previously leased part of the property, helped enable and support UCLA’s acquisition.
Designers | Jul 29, 2024
Inclusive design for locker rooms: Providing equitable choice and access
SRG designers pose the question: What would it look like if everyone who wanted to use a restroom or locker room could?
Smart Buildings | Jul 25, 2024
A Swiss startup devises an intelligent photovoltaic façade that tracks and moves with the sun
Zurich Soft Robotics says Solskin can reduce building energy consumption by up to 80% while producing up to 40% more electricity than comparable façade systems.
University Buildings | Jul 17, 2024
University of Louisville Student Success Building will be new heart of engineering program
A new Student Success Building will serve as the heart of the newly designed University of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering. The 115,000-sf structure will greatly increase lab space and consolidate student services to one location.
University Buildings | Jul 11, 2024
3 considerations for designing healthy, adaptable student dining
Amanda Vigneau, IIDA, NCDIQ, LEED ID+C, Director, Shepley Bulfinch, shares three ways student dining facilities have evolved to match changes in student life.
