Buildings and Facilities

CNS has a wide range of facilities and buildings that provide a vibrant and well-equipped scientific environment in which to learn and teach.

CNS work is conducted throughout campus and in its eighteen primary buildings, three greenhouse complexes, and numerous research institutes and centers. The campus continues to invest in its comprehensive research facilities and to construct new state-of-the-art research buildings, many of which house CNS teaching and research activities.

Map of CNS Buildings & Research Centers

Campus map with CNS Buildings gives a brief overview of the college’s buildings, current and recent projects, and research centers. It can also be used in grant applications.

New Buildings

Life Sciences Complex

The first building in the complex, the Integrated Sciences Building (ISB), opened in 2009.

Next door to the ISB are the Life Sciences Laboratories (LSL), which opened in 2013.

John W. Olver Design Building

A new home for the Department of Building and Construction Technology, completed in 2017. You can learn more about the facility on BCT’s blog.

Physical Sciences Building

Opened April 2019, the 95,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building is a major point of connection, both among CNS departments and between UMass Amherst’s history and future. Providing labs, lab support, and offices for 20 faculty members and approximately 130 bench positions, PSB encourages collaboration and resource sharing among departments and research groups through critical bridge and tunnel connections to other UMass buildings and labs. PSB also honors the university’s legacy by incorporating the reconstructed West Experiment Station (WES), a nineteenth-century agricultural soils research lab. Improving resource efficiency and lab safety, PSB’s open concept labs are designed to anticipate future developments in STEM fields, allowing for new directions in research.

CNS Greenhouses

CNS has three greenhouse facilities: the Research and Education Greenhouse, with teaching and research facilities; the six Morrill Greenhouses, which are primarily devoted to teaching; and the Durfee Conservatory, the university’s oldest greenhouse.

Natural History Collections

The Natural History Collections showcase 500,000 specimens of mammals, birds, plants, fish, reptiles, and amphibians, with an especially strong representation of local flora and fauna. These resources play a major role in research activities and undergraduate education.

Core Facilities

Core facilities are shared resources offering a range of services to the research community, including cutting-edge technologies, high-end instrumentation, and technical support and expertise in specialized equipment or processes. Our core services and facilities are the product of substantial investment by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, federal and other research sponsors, and the university. These services and facilities exist to enhance and expand collaborative capabilities, and provide state-of-the-art resources for faculty research, student training, and collaborations with external partners. Visit the Core Research Facilities page for a list of all core facilities at UMass Amherst.