University of Massachusetts Boston: Integrated Sciences Complex

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

  • Tennant Company Launches Autonomous Floor Scrubber

    Cleaning equipment and solutions provider Tennant Company recently launched the new X6 ROVR, a mid-sized robotic scrubber designed for large commercial and light-industrial environments, according to a news release. The autonomous machine can clean up to 75,000 square feet peer cycle with minimal needs for manual assistance.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Introduces Claude for Education

    Anthropic has launched a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2025 New Product Awards

    Spaces4Learning is now accepting entries for the 2025 New Product Awards! The program’s goal is to honor the outstanding product development achievements of manufacturers and suppliers whose products and services are particularly noteworthy in helping to improve K–12 and Higher Education learning environments.

  • KnowBe4 Releases Report on Education Sector’s Preparedness for Cyberattacks

    Cybersecurity platform KnowBe4 recently released a new research report titled “From Primary Schools to Universities, The Global Education Sector is Unprepared for Escalating Cyber Attacks,” according to a news release.

Digital Edition