INTEGRATED SCIENCES BUILDING

  BUILDING OVERVIEW
  SUSTAINABLE FEATURES
  RESOURCES

BUILDING OVERVIEW

North Exterior Perspective

Timeline September 2006 - January 2009	UMass Project Planners Thomas Huf, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham	Designer / Architect Payette Associates, Inc.
Address 661 N Pleasant St Amherst, MA 01003	UMass Project Manager Jeff Quackenbush	Construction Manager Gilbane, Inc.
	UMBA Project Manager NV5	Structural Engineer Lim Consultants, Inc.

The $114.5 million, 188,000 S.F. Integrated Sciences Building (ISB) combines the Life, Chemical, and Physical Sciences into one building to inspire new models of interdisciplinary teaching and research. The ISB contains laboratories, a 300-seat auditorium, 80-seat stepped classroom, computer resource center, and faculty offices. A four story atrium serves as a central collaborative space for students, and connects the ISB to the adjacent Life Sciences Laboratories building.

Research spaces, modular laboratories, and common areas are all designed to foster synergy between students, professors, and research faculty from different departments across the sciences. Introductory and advanced laboratories are collocated to promote interactions between lower and upper class students. By dissolving the boundaries which traditionally separated sciences, the ISB paves the way for new forms of science to emerge in the 21st century.

Together, the building provides a flexible framework which adapts to changing needs over time. While not LEED Certified, the building contains a variety of sustainable features to maximize energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.

SUSTAINABLE FEATURES

Sustainable Sites

A compact building footprint and strategic site location maximize open green space. Together, the ISB and adjacent Life Sciences Laboratories frame a large exterior courtyard, which acts as a natural extension of the historic Stockbridge Road.
An “intensive” rooftop garden installed over the chiller plant contains soil depths of 6-42” and accommodates a wide variety of plants, shrubs, and small trees. A second, “extensive” garden with a soil depth of 6” is planted over the loading dock and supports native, drought-tolerant species.
Bicycle racks are located at the east and west building main entrances. Dedicated shower and changing facilities are provided on the first floor of the building to encourage reduced dependency on motorized vehicle transport.

Water Efficiency

A 20,000 gallon storage tank collects rainwater on the roof to reduce discharge into the campus sewer system. The rooftop chiller system reuses rainwater collected onsite, saving an estimated 250,000 gallons of water annually. Effluent water is piped from the Amherst water treatment plant to supplement water lost to evaporation.

Energy & Atmosphere

The building’s massing is oriented for optimal passive solar. Terracotta “baguette” exterior louvered shading devices on the atrium’s south-facing curtain wall allow for ample natural daylight infiltration, whilst protecting the building from glare and solar heat gain. Windows are insulated and treated with a low emissivity coating to further reduce heating and cooling losses.
Two high efficiency water cooled electric centrifugal chillers and one steam absorption chiller were installed in the regional chiller plant as part of the project. The electric chillers utilize variable speed fan drive (VFD) to operate more efficiently depending on user demand. A plate and frame heat exchanger eliminates the need for chillers during the winter, when cooling loads are very low. Using a combination of steam and electric chillers helps the campus to balance steam and electric consumption, and maximizes operating efficiency at the Central Heating Plant.
Occupancy sensors, thermostats, and multi-level light switches are installed in offices, laboratories, and other spaces to provide advanced control for users. Occupancy sensors detect motion and natural daylight levels, then automatically adjust artificial lighting accordingly.

Materials & Resources

UMass Amherst saved and recycled 100% of structural concrete and steel from the WWII era Marshall Annex Building, which was demolished to construct the ISB.
Building materials and finishes were selected for their sustainable properties, recycled content, and low environmental impacts. Interior finishes include bamboo wood in common areas, rubber flooring in laboratories, and vinyl ceramic tiles installed in high-traffic circulation spaces.

Indoor Environmental Air Quality

A heat recovery wheel is installed to maximize heating and ventilation efficiency. The system captures heat energy from the classroom wing’s exhaust air stream and uses it to condition incoming supply air serving the lab spaces. This exhaust air stream is used to preheat cold, incoming fresh air that serves the lab areas. In addition to these energy-saving measures, enthalpy heat recovery wheels remove latent heat from the air during the summer, and add heat and moisture in the winter. This advanced system recovers up to 50% more heat and moisture compared to the conventional glycol loop HVAC systems used in laboratory buildings.
Low flow fume hoods rated at 60 cubic feet per minute (CFM) are installed in teaching laboratories. This helps to reduce heating, cooling, and fan energy consumption compared to standard models rated at 100 CFM. Traditional, 100 CFM hoods are used for dispensing waste fumes only.
Perimeter laboratories and offices utilize hot water radiant ceiling panels for heating, while maintaining airflow rates when unoccupied.