Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

UMass Amherst to Build New School of Public Health & Health Services HUB

  • By Matt Jones
  • 10/17/24

The University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, Mass., recently began construction on a new home for the School of Public Health & Health Services (SPHHS), whose current academic spaces are currently scattered around campus, according to a news release. The 26,800-square-foot HUB project will create a “unified gathering place for SPHHS,” according to the news release, for a variety of services. The university partnered with Leers Weinzapfel Architects for the project’s design.

Image courtesy of Leers Weinzapfel Architects

The facility will include team-based learning classrooms, collaboration spaces, seminar rooms, advising offices, and a central commons space overlooking an exterior entry plaza. The project has an estimated completion date of 2026.

The new facility will connect with an existing gymnasium, which currently plays home to the school’s Department of Kinesiology. The entryway will use a mass timber structure and wooden staircase, the news release reports, adding a sense of warmth to study spaces and school events. Flexible classrooms will come in various sizes.

The exterior envelope will match adjacent buildings with warm-toned metal panels along the ground floor and light-colored, textured brick on the upper floors. The building was designed to facilitate public health, pedestrian movement, access to natural light, and biophilia. The project will also use net-zero-ready, all-electric energy systems.

“This new building will become the heart of our community, embodying our commitment to education and our student-first mission. Thoughtfully designed, it will feature classrooms, seminar and collaboration spaces, and offices dedicated to student success and career planning,” said Anna Maria Siega-Riz, SPHHS Dean. “It will host our school’s symposiums, gatherings, and research events. The architecture will incorporate natural elements—such as abundant natural light, organic materials, and shapes inspired by nature—creating an environment that fosters well-being, reduces stress, and enhances emotional resilience. These principles are at the core of our School and university’s mission.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California District Debuts New High-School CTE Center

    The West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new CTE Center at Analy High School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) for the facility’s design and GCCI for its construction, and funding came from local Measure A bond funds.

  • Western Kentucky University Breaks Ground on First Phase of $350M Student Housing Project

    Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky., recently broke ground on the first phase of a $350-million student housing initiative, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Gilbane Development through a public-private partnership (P3) to replace aging residence halls and modernize on-campus living accommodations.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.