Endicott College

Curtis L. Gerrish School of Business and Ginger Judge Science Center

Endicott College

PHOTOS © SHELLY HARRISON PHOTOGRAPHY

When the deans of the business and science departments at Endicott College in Beverly, MA, wanted to develop stronger connections between the two divisions, school leadership — recognizing the value of interdisciplinary collaboration — took them seriously. So seriously that they commissioned a new building on the campus: the Curtis L. Gerrish School of Business and Ginger Judge Science Center.

Designed by Tsoi/Kobus & Associates of Cambridge, MA, and built by Windover Construction of Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, the new building places state-of-the-art business classrooms and leading-edge, flexibly designed laboratory spaces under one roof, united through collaborative spaces that facilitate both impromptu connections and cooperative academic programming. On the entry level, the Angle Center for Entrepreneurship promotes business and science, establishing partnerships and opportunities for students with business and science leaders, entrepreneurs and experts.

Drawing upon lessons from Tsoi/Kobus’s extensive life science and higher education design portfolios, laboratory teaching spaces in the Judge Science Center wing are modeled on professional laboratory design trends, where flexibility is a mandate.

The labs, with the exception of the chemistry lab, feature adaptable workstations that can be reconfigured and are moveable and adjustable in height to accommodate a number of research and study activities. All service and utility drops to the tables (vacuum, data, power and compressed air) are housed in the ceilings and can be easily relocated depending on the configuration needs of the room. Walls are covered with whiteboard paint for teaching and impromptu problem solving. Each lab is equipped with at least one variable-air-volume hood to accommodate and anticipate a changing curriculum. In addition, operable classroom walls allow rooms to be resized as needed.

Today the Gerrish School of Business and Judge Science Center is the centerpiece of the Endicott campus, illustrating the college’s mission of attracting leading research talent, providing students with valuable real-world experience and understanding of the business of science.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.