Worcester Dining Commons with trees

WORCESTER DINING COMMONS RENOVATION

CONTENTS


BUILDING OVERVIEW

SUSTAINABLE FEATURES

RESOURCES

BUILDING OVERVIEW


LEED Certified Gold 


LEED Status
Certified Gold
Timeline
July, 2018 - October, 2020
UMass Project Manager
Burt Ewart
Address
669 N Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01003-9245
 
 

The new 87,000 square foot Worcester Commons includes a first-floor retail café, grab-n -go, the campus’ commercial bakery, lounge spaces and a small fitness center. The dining commons is on the second floor with seating for approximately 800. The third floor is home to a full-service restaurant and bar, a Student Life suite that features soundproof music practice rooms, meeting spaces for student groups and a contemplative space, as well as office space for Auxiliary Enterprises. The outdoor space on the west side has a plaza for gathering, eating and events. 

For Worcester Dining Commons' LEED Gold certification, both the design and build integrated sustainable features, materials and practices, including electrochromic glass for most south- and west-facing windows to improve the comfort of the interior space and reduce energy needed to heat and cool the building, laminate wood frames for the windows, high-efficiency exhaust hoods, energy recovery systems to capture heat waste, low-maintenance landscaping, locally sourced construction materials and some recycled construction materials, such as the large wooden dining tables in the main dining spaces.

SUSTAINABLE FEATURES


Sustainable Sites

  • The building is serviced regularly by the PVTA bus system and located within a quarter mile of basic community services including a park, museum, and fitness center 
  • Bicycle racks are located at main entrances in effort to reduce automobile dependence
  • Walkable to a library, restaurants, retail, and other core community services
  • The building location maximizes open space of surrounding site 

Water Efficiency

  • 42% reduction in potable water usage
  • Building level metering

Energy & Atmosphere

  • 42% reduction in potable water usage
  • 48.5% Overall energy performance optimization 
  • Enhanced commisioning ensurs building systems perform as intended post-occupancy
  • Select refrigerants used to minimize contributions to global warming and ozone depletion
  • Advanced whole-building energy metering
  • Electrochromic glass responds to sun intensity improving comfort of interior spaces while reducing energy needed to heat and cool the building

Materials & Resources

  • 10% of building materials sourced regionally within 500 miles
  • 10% of building materials contain recycled content and were extracted, processed and manufactured regionally

Indoor Environmental Air Quality

  • CO2 sensors ensure adequate fresh air is provided to densely occupied spaces
  • 20% or more of the design supply airflow services non-densely occupied spaces
  • Thermal comfort survey to be administered to occupants following project completion
  • Interior spaces deisgned with low-emitting paints and floor coverings

Innovation In Design

  • Active green-building education programs share building's sustainbility features
  • Green Housekeeping Program in place
  • Project undertaken on a Difficult Development Area (DDA)

RESOURCES

 
 
 

 

GALLERY

Rendered Perspective

South Exterior Perspective

North Approach Rendered Perspective

First Floor Lounge

Ellis Way Approach Rendered Perspective

Dining Commons Entry

Mediterranean Station

Wok, Tandoor, Nori Seating

First Floor Lounges

Dining N. Pleasant Frontage

First Floor Cafe

Main Dining Area

Grab & Go

Dining near Grill

Sushi Station

View onto Ellis Way

Latin Station

First Floor Foyer Lounge

Restaurant

Approach from N. Pleasant St.

 

 

Renderings courtesy of Perry Dean Rogers Architects and Connor Architecture.

Rendered Perspective

Rendered Perspective

North Approach Rendered Perspective

North Approach Rendered Perspective

Ellis Way Approach Rendered Perspective

Ellis Way Approach Rendered Perspective

Mediterranean Station

Mediterranean Station

First Floor Lounges

First Floor Lounges

First Floor Cafe

First Floor Cafe

Grab & Go

Grab & Go

Sushi Station

Sushi Station

Latin Station

Latin Station

Restaurant

Restaurant

ARTICLES

Worcester Commons Receives Gold LEED Certification

University of Massachusetts Amherst News & Media Relations - 06/16/2021

UMASS DINING’S NEW WORCESTER COMMONS OPENS OCT. 19

University of Massachusetts Amherst News & Media Relations - 10/15/2020

VIDEOS