Olver, John W. Design Building (2017)

 Certified LEED NC v2009 Gold

The $52 million, 87,500 S.F. Olver Design Building brings together the Architecture, Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning, and Building & Construction Technology programs in one facility to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, research and learning. The goal was to create an innovative and inspired building that visibly demonstrates environmentally sensitive design. The building’s unique cross-laminated timber (CLT) structural system reduces its carbon footprint and embodies the university’s strong commitment to sustainability.

The Design Building contains classrooms, administrative offices, studios, workshops, lab space, a café, gallery, and exhibit spaces-all organized around a central atrium. The rooftop public courtyard features native plant species and integrated seating.

Building Information

Address: 551 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003-2901
Completed: Spring 2017
Size: 87,500 GSF
Designer / Architect: Leers Weinzapfel Associates
Environmental Design Consultants & Engineers: Atelier Ten
Owner's Project Manager: Hill International, Inc.
UMass Project Manager: Burt Ewart
UMass Project Planners: Douglas Marshall, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham

Sustainability

Resources

LEED Project Scorecard
LEED Project Dashboard
Green Building Brochure
Green Building Tour Guide
Woodworks Case Study
360° Virtual Tour

Indoor Air Quality

• Low-emitting adhesives, sealants, paints, coating, and flooring systems are used on the interior, with minimal volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Outer solar screen shade comprised of a perforated, UV-resistant material designed to protect interior spaces from direct sunlight and glare
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors continually monitor CO2 levels based on occupancy patterns to ensure that adequate fresh air is provided to all densely occupied spaces
• Building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are recalibrated to ensure user comfort as needed
• indoor air quality (IAQ) plan during construction and before occupancy to ensure worker health

Materials + Resources

• 10% of the building’s materials contain recycled content and were regionally extracted, processed, and manufactured
• Over 50% of the building’s wood products are sourced from sustainably harvested forests and carry Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification
• Diverted 75% of construction wastes from landfill

Innovation in Design

• The atrium’s unique, timber and steel composite zipper truss system is currently the world’s largest span of cross-laminated timber
• Life Cycle Assessment was developed by the WoodWorks organization to demonstrate the carbon footprint reduction potential of mass timber
• The Design Building features 2,500 S.F. of electrochromic glazing – a new, innovative “smart glass” system by View Dynamic Glass

Water Efficiency

• Low-flow lavatory fixtures, including sensor-activated toilets, urinals, and lavatory faucets to minimize potable water consumption
• Potable water reduction approximately 34% below Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2003 standards
• second, third, and fourth stories of the Design Building demonstrate the first use of a hybrid, cross-laminated timber floor system
• Rooftop vegetation utilizes a drip irrigation system, where water is withheld and gradually delivered to plants as needed
• Rainwater is collected on the roof and channeled off of the east side of the building into two rain gardens
  • Collect, cleanse, and infiltrate stormwater naturally onsite
  • Lined with native vegetation, soil, and rock to filter stormwater and remove harmful pollutants from surface runoff.
• Landscaped areas have drought-tolerant, native species that can thrive without the aid of permanent irrigation systems

Sustainable Sites

• Roof gardens contain a variety of soil depths and plantings which were selected to mitigate heat island effects, promote biodiversity, and improve stormwater quality
• Light-colored roofing and hardscaping materials with a high solar reflectance index (SRI) were selected reduce heat island effects
• UMass Green Cleaning Policy
• Timber glulam and CLT structural systems sequestered over 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide, and have low embodied energy
• Bicycle racks and dedicated shower and changing facilities are provided to promote alternative transportation and reduce dependency on motorized vehicle transport
• Easy access to the PVTA campus bus system
• Walkable to restaurants, fitness centers, a bank, and other community services

Energy & Atmosphere

• Strong visual connection between indoor and outdoor spaces promotes occupant wellness through daylight, views, and campus connectivity
• 90% of regularly used spaces in the Design Building have access to exterior views and natural daylight
• Common areas with seating are interspersed throughout corridors to encourage interactions and collaboration between students and faculty
• Classrooms, lecture halls, and offices contain dual roller shade systems for occupants' full control over natural light exposure
• The building’s compact footprint, hardy site vegetation, and reflective hardscaping surfaces all combine to maximize open green space
• 50% reduction in energy use
• Total site energy use intensity (EUI) of 43 kBTU/SF/year, compared against an EUI of 62 kBTU/SF/year for the baseline design
• High efficiency fluorescent and LED light fixtures allow for a 43% reduction in lighting power density compared to a baseline
• Electrochromic glazing addresses shading minimizes heating loads, cooling loads, and eliminates the maintenance implications of an exterior louvered shading systems
• Large areas of continuous glazing contain a circular frit pattern to mitigate glare and solar heat gain issues, whilst providing exterior views and natural daylight

Photo Gallery

Images 1-3 and 5 are Courtesy of Leers Weinzapfel Associates, image 4 is Courtesy of Atelier Ten, LLC., image 6 is Courtesy of Ryan Rendano, and images 7 and 8 are Courtesy of UMass BCT.

Additional images can be found at the provided Photo Gallery.

You can also find a large collection of images of the Design Buildings construction curtesy of the Building & Construction Technology.

Media

Honors and Awards
 

Honor Award, General Design
2025 ASLA Professional Awards - 2025

Award of Excellence
The 2022 Education Facility Design Awards, AIA - 2022

Building of the Year
World-Architects - 2017

Award of Merit, Higher Education/Research Category
Engineering News-Record (ENR) New England - 2017

Excellence in Structural Engineering Award (New Buildings $20 to $100 Million)
National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) - 2017

Awards of Merit for Structural Systems Design and Architectural Engineering Integration
Architectural Engineering Institute - 2017

Most Innovative Project Award (less than $100 million)
Architectural Engineering Institute - 2017

Videos

Sustainable Design Building
UMass Amherst - 2/24/2017

UMass Design Building Rain Garden 2
UMass LARP -5/5/2017

UMass Design Building: SketchUp Wall Detail Animation
Dylan Brown - 1/27/2016

Design Building Celebration
UMass Amherst - 10/21/2015

Design Building Progress
UMass Amherst - 3/18/2016

High-tech timber erected at UMass
Suffolk Construction - 2/24/2016

UMass Amherst - Amherst, MA
View - n.d.

UMass Amherst - Design Building
Suffolk Construction - 8/7/2016

Architect & Landscape Architect Presentation on New Building Ideas - UMass LARP
UMass LARP - 2/12/2014

UMass Amherst Design Building: Navigating Design, Procurement and Construction Challenges
Forest Business Network - 5/22/2016

CLT Panel Placement at the UMass Amherst Design Building (360 degree video)
Alexander Schreyer - 6/6/2016

Articles

UMass Amherst's Olver Design  Building Receives Architecture Institute's Highest Honor
UMass Amherst News & Media Relations - 5/28/2020

Boston Society of Architects 2018 Design Awards
Boston Real Estate times - 1/24/2019

Committee Explores Alternative Building Materials for Proposed Holyoke Middle Schools
Mass Live - 10/12/2018

What is New England Architecture?
The Architect's Newspaper - 9/19/2018

Mockups Help Students Understand Building Technologies
UMass Amherst News & Media Relations - 6/25/2018

Simpson Gumpertz & Heger is 2018 winner of Gold Engineering Excellence Award
Boston Real Estate Times - 6/21/2018

UMass Multi-Level Building Showcases Cutting Edge Timber Construction
The Daily Hampshire Gazette - 6/15/2018

UMass Amherst Surges in Rankings for Sustainable Universities, Moving up to No. 9 in Nation
UMass Amherst News & Media Relations - 6/8/2018

SGH Honored With Two Engineering Awards
The Construction Specifier - 5/2/2018

John W. Olver Design Building
Architect - 4/10/2018

Designed To Inspire
Timber Trader News - 3/21/2018

Olver Design Building Wins National Design Innovation Award
UMass Amherst News & Media Relations - 2/22/2018

UMass Design Building on Track for LEED Certification
Amherst Wire - 2/15/2018

America’s Building of the Year is Here: UMass’ Design Building
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian - 2/9/2018

John W. Olver Design Building Named Building of the Year in Online Poll
UMass Amherst News & Media Relations - 2/5/2018

UMass Amherst's John Olver Design Building Named U.S. Building of the Year by World-Architects
MassLive - 2/1/2018

Mass Timber Architecture School Wins U.S. Building of the Year
World-Architects - 2/1/2018

John W. Olver Design Building in Voting for 'Building of the Year'
UMass Amherst News & Media Relations - 1/18/2018

Industry Case Study Focuses on John W. Olver Design Building
UMass Amherst News & Media Relations - 1/12/2018

Campaign Underway to Bring John Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst Another Honor
MassLive - 1/4/2018

​Inspiration through Innovation - UMass Amherst Olver Design Building
WoodWorks Case Study - January 2018

Leers Weinzapfel Associates Designs the World's Largest Cross-Laminated Timber Academic Building
Metropolis - 1/3/2018

In Design Building at UMass Amherst, students learn by example
Design New England - 12/5/2017

Award of Merit Higher Education/Research: University of Massachusetts Amherst--Design Building
Engineering News-Record (ENR) New England - 11/20/2017

UMass Amherst Design Building Named for Former Congressman John Olver
MassLive - 10/30/2017

Remnant To Whole
Landscape Architecture Magazine - October 2017

A New Teacher On Campus
Learning By Design - Fall 2017

Mass Timber - Inside the Graceful, Sustainable, and Breathtaking New Design Building
The Magazine of the University of Massachusetts Amherst - Fall 2017

Raising the roof with CLT
World Architecture News - 6/16/2017

University of Massachusetts Amherst Design Building / Leers Weinzapfel Associates
ArchDaily - 5/25/2017

Design Building at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
World Architects - 5/22/2017

Leers Weinzapfel Completes America's First Cross-Laminated Timber Academic Building
Dezeen - 4/28/2017

UMass Amherst Completes Cross-laminated Timber Design Building for Architecture, other Programs
The Architect's Newspaper - 4/27/2017

New Design Building Officially Opened
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian - 4/26/2017

Why UMass Amherst's Newest Building is Made Almost Entirely of Wood
The Boston Globe - 4/25/2017

UMass Celebrating Opening of Modern, All-Wood Building
22 News - 4/25/2017

UMass Opens New Design Building, Largest Modern Wood Structure in the Northeastern US
MassLive - 4/25/2017

UMass Design Building Showcases Potential for New Timber Product Industry in Massachusetts
MassLive - 4/5/2017

UMass Amherst Design Building Zipper Trusses
Architect Magazine - 3/2/2017

Innovative UMass Design Building 'designed by designers for designers to teach design
MassLive - 10/16/2017

'Timber City' to Show Mass Timber's Potential for Construction, Job Creation
Architect Magazine - 8/4/2016

Leers Weinzapfel Associates designs timber multidisciplinary design building for UMass Amherst
The Architects Newspaper - 5/31/2016

New Integrated Design Building Incorporates Sustainability, Resilience and Aesthetic
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian - 4/4/2016

The Design Building at UMass Amherst
UMass Building and Construction Technology

Design Building
Leers Weinzapfel Associates

Wood construction resurges at UMass
Suffolk Construction Blog - 10/9/2015

The Best Architecture of 2017: Buildings of Quiet Ambition
The Wall Street Journal - 12/11/2017

WoodWorks Announces 2018 Wood Design Award Winners
PRISM - 3/2/2018

The Skyscrapers Of The Future Might Be Built Out Of Wood
Circa - 5/22/2018

New Design Building, Renovations to Old Chapel and South College Completed
UMass News & Media Relations - 1/26/2017

Olver Design Building Earns Award of Merit
UMass Amherst News & Media Relations - 11/30/2017

Design Building at UMass Amherst Named for Former U.S. Rep. John W. Olver
UMass Amherst News & Media Relations - 10/27/2017

UMass Amherst is Home to America’s First CLT Academic Building
Building Design + Construction - 4/26/2017