Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Massachusetts Boston: Integrated Sciences Complex

  • 03/01/16
University of Massachusetts Boston: Integrated Sciences Complex

PHOTOS © ROBERT BENSON PHOTOGRAPHY

The Integrated Sciences Complex (ISC) opened on the University of Massachusetts Boston’s campus in the spring of 2015. The building has an immediate welcoming impact upon entering the campus.

The 220,000-square-foot building features research labs and support space for biology, chemistry, environmental science, physics and psychology; undergraduate introductory biology teaching laboratories; an interdisciplinary undergraduate sandbox teaching lab; infant cognition lab; and a new research center — the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy.

The layout throughout the building fosters collaboration among both students and faculty across disciplines. The clustering of social spaces such as stairs, elevators, meetings rooms and offices combined with the strategic placement of departments and their shared facilities encourages interaction between individuals and academic groups. The biology teaching labs and sandbox project lab are aligned vertically on the first and second floors with windows to the lobby and open stairway to demonstrate “science on display.”

The multistory front glass enclosure creates an atrium streaming with sunlight. Oval-shaped lights, which constantly change colors, hang in groupings of two to five, facing in the same direction, simulating schools of fish.

The exterior design contrasts with existing campus buildings, which are principally brick. Its lighter color, hinting at that of beach sand as it sits on the water’s edge, is analogous to the Campus Center, which opened in the spring of 2004. The design is meant to reduce heat absorption and be more energy efficient, earning it LEED Silver-certified designation.

The building was designed by Boston-based architectural firm Goody Clancy and built by Walsh Brothers. The new facility is part of UMass Boston’s 25-year Master Plan, which is the physical realization of the university’s strategic vision: becoming a model, student-centered, urban public research university.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • 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.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Montclair State University Debuts New VR Facility

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently announced the completion of a new virtual reality learning facility developed in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, according to a news release. The 2,450-square-foot lab space is inside the College of Communication and Media building and will serve students pursuing careers in digital media, virtual reality, and content creation.

  • Tomball ISD Opens New Tomball West High School

    Tomball Independent School District in Tomball, Texas, recently celebrated the official opening of Tomball West High School, the district's third comprehensive high school, with a community ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to a district news release.