New Building to Serve as Hub for SPHHS Community

Facilities
Architect's rendering of the new SPHHS Hub

In May 2024, shortly after graduation caps were tossed in the air and settled to the ground, construction began on the SPHHS Hub – a new, student-centered building to serve as a future home for the SPHHS community.

“We are so excited to finally have a building that connects our teaching with student services,” says Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz. “The new SPHHS Hub will be a modern, inspiring building designed to serve as the heart of our school, providing a dedicated space for students to come together, find their campus home, and enhance their experience of belonging to UMass.”

To mark the occasion, the SPHHS and Office of Community Relations and Events will host a construction celebration on September 10 with keynote speakers including Chancellor Javier Reyes, Dean Siega-Riz, and other campus, community, and state stakeholders. 

Historically, the SPHHS has been housed across five buildings scattered throughout the expansive UMass Amherst campus, with limited classroom and seminar space. Since 2019, there has been a concerted effort by school leadership to advocate for a unified gathering place where students can collaborate, access support services, receive advising, and foster a stronger sense of community. 

Siega-Riz notes that UMass Amherst is the largest producer of baccalaureate-level STEM graduates in the state by a wide margin. “UMass has experienced rapid growth in the demand for its STEM programs, especially from Massachusetts high school students and Massachusetts community college transfer students,” she says. “The School of Public Health and Health Sciences houses some of the fastest growing programs on the campus since its four undergraduate majors feed into various healthcare careers. This demand is consistent with the workforce development needs of the state. The student success space developed in this project will insure that we continue to meet these demands.”

The new space will encourage both intentional and serendipitous teamwork for learning and innovation to improve the health of the Commonwealth and beyond. Designed by the architectural firm Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the 26,800 gross square foot building will house:

  • State-of-the-art team-based learning classrooms.
  • A one-stop student advising and career services location with rooms for seminars and workshops.
  • A large seminar room (seating capacity of 120) that allows for the exchange of new knowledge, innovative programs, and engagement with key stakeholders in our fields.
  • Open areas and collaboration spaces for supporting learning culture that is inclusive, engaging, and promotes well-being.
  • An outdoor event space to complement the interior academic program spaces to allow SPHHS to host a wide variety of community events.

“Completion of this project will ensure that all students in the school will have equitable access to academic and student success services to ensure their ability to progress in their degree programs,” adds Siega-Riz. “We expect that this project will enable the SPHHS to produce more, and better educated, graduates who will join the public health and health sciences workforce.”

As an energy efficient and sustainable facility, the building will aim to exceed the minimum certification level of LEED Silver®, prioritize low energy use, minimize the use of fossil fuels, and be ready to support the implementation of the UMass Carbon Zero initiative to create a net zero carbon emissions campus.

The SPHHS Hub is slated to open in the fall of 2025.

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