Integrated Sciences Building (2009)

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 along with flexibility with changes in the field over time.

Building Information

Address: 661 N Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01003
Completed: Spring 2009
Size: 188,000 GSF
Designer / Architect: Payette Associates, Inc.
Structural Engineer: Lim Consultants, Inc.
Construction Manager: Gilbane, Inc.
Owner's Project Manager: NV5
UMass Project Manager: Jeff Quackenbush
UMass Project Planners: Thomas Huf, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham

Sustainability

Indoor Air Quality

• Heat recovery wheel installed to maximize heating and ventilation efficiency
• Low flow fume hoods rated at 60 cubic feet per minute (CFM) are installed in teaching laboratories
• Perimeter laboratories and offices utilize hot water radiant ceiling panels for heating, while maintaining airflow rates when unoccupied

Materials + Resources

• 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 sustainable properties, recycled content, and low environmental impact
• ISB and adjacent Life Sciences Laboratories frame a large exterior courtyard, which acts as a natural extension of the historic Stockbridge Road.

Water Efficiency

• 20,000-gallon storage tank collects rainwater on the roof to reduce discharge into the campus sewer system
• Rooftop chiller system reuses rainwater collected onsite, saving an estimated 250,000 gallons of water annually

Sustainable Sites

• Compact building footprint and strategic site location maximize open green space.
• “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
• Shower and changing facilities are provided on the first floor of the building to encourage reduced dependency on motorized vehicle transport

Energy & Atmosphere

• Building’s massing is oriented for optimal passive solar
• Terracotta “baguette” exterior louvered shading devices on atrium’s southern curtain wall allow for natural daylight infiltration and protection from glare and solar heat gain
• Insulated low-E coated windows
• Occupancy sensors, thermostats, and multi-level light switches installed in offices, laboratories, and other spaces to provide advanced control for users

Photo Gallery

All images by Warren Jagger Photography, courtesy of Payette Associates, Inc.

Media

Videos

Integrated Sciences Building
Guy Murray - 5/20/2008

Integrated Sciences Building Dedication September 14, 2009
UMass Amherst - 10/21/2009

Molecular Playground Demo
cttmartin - 10/6/2009

'Science for Everyone' at Homecoming
UMass Amherst - 10/5/2016

Articles

Donation Helps Along New Science Building
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian - 2/20/2003

New Building to Integrate Science Education at UMass
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian - 9/12/2006

Integrated Sciences Building Opens for Classes
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian - 2/1/2009

UMass Dedicates New $114.5 Million Integrated Sciences Building - MassLive
MassLive- 9/14/2009

Integrated Sciences Building Officially Dedicated
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian - 9/15/2009

UMass Amherst Integrated Science Building / Payette
ArchDaily - 8/22/2011

Integrated Sciences Building
UMass Amherst College of Natural Sciences - n.d.

University of Massachusetts, Amherst Integrated Sciences Building
Payette Associates - n.d.

Integrated Science Building (UMass Amherst)
An Engineer's Guide to Western Mass - n.d.

Integrated Science Building Dedicated
UMass Amherst News & Media Relations - n.d.

Integrated Science Building University of Massachusetts Amherst
Learning Spaces Collaboratory - n.d.

Shedding Light on the Sciences at UMass Amherst
Laboratory Design News - n.d.

UMass Amherst Breaks Ground for $92.7 Million Integrated Sciences Building
UMass Amherst News & Media Relations - n.d.