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

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.