The UMass DesignBuild (UMDB) program brings together students from the Building and Construction Technology Program and the UMass Department of Architecture (with participation from the Five College Architectural Studies Program) to design and build innovative, small-scale, affordable housing for under-served communities in Western Massachusetts through a process that involves students from the initial design sketches to the finished building.
Our mission is to provide transformational educational experiences that empower our students to become ethical leaders in their chosen professions.
As energy codes in Massachusetts continue to become more stringent, UMDB projects continue to improve on energy efficiency while also reducing embodied carbon through the incorporation of alternative sustainable materials including wood fiber insulation, locally-sourced wood products, and compressed straw-bale wall assemblies.
News
The latest news is posted on the UMass DesignBuild Blog. Below are the three most recent entries:
Latest Project: 2025 DesignBuild Project: “Casita de Vida”
Project timelapse playlist:
Press
- Our House: DesignBuild Students Send Fourth House to Holyoke – UMass Media (January 20, 2026)
- UMass DesignBuild Prototypes ADUs for Western Mass – The Amherst Current (February 20, 2024)
- Hammer Time: How Students, Faculty, Local Businesses and Holyoke’s Community Development Corporation Are Teaming Up to Fight the Housing Crisis – UMass Media (September 26, 2023)
- Getting Hygge With It at the Green River Festival – UMass Media (July 12, 2022)
Projects
- Casita de Vida (2025)
- Eighth Sister (2024)
- Paper House (2023)
- Hygge House (2022)
Faculty Leaders
- Carl Fiocchi, BCT
- Ben Leinfelder, BCT
- Rob Williams, Architecture
- Naomi Darling, FCAS