Planning, Design and Construction staff serve the campus community by developing projects for space, facilities and the campus physical environment. We think strategically and examine how physical spaces can best support the University's goals and community life. We work with clients from every level of the UMass organization to define their need, whether it is space for a new hire, a building renovation, an approach to maintaining historical assets or to reducing campus greenhouse gas emissions. We identify project stakeholders and a process for decision making, provide analysis, alternatives, evaluation and recommendations, and propose an implementation scheme to decision makers. We work closely with the Deputy Chancellor and Chief Planning Officer and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities and Campus Services to prioritize issues of sustainability, accessibility, optimal land use, fiscal responsibility and neighborhood impact to develop and implement projects and master plans that promote the best possible environment for the fulfillment of the UMass Amherst mission.
Our work addresses development needs at multiple scales - whether to address a department's immediate needs for new or renovated space, or to invest in strategic initiatives that support the long-term vision of the campus. We are designers, architects, engineers and project managers who plan, program, design and manage capital and capital renewal projects. We work with groups and committees on and off-campus to maintain physical data for decision-making, to communicate a comprehensive vision for the physical campus and to coordinate the many initiatives that implement it, so that each project provides the greatest value to the campus community.