The Integrated Science Complex (ISC) will officially open this fall, although students will not have access to the facility until spring 2015 pending the building’s management of a moving phase. Holly Sutherland, Manager of Planning and Construction Communications, said that the goal had always been to open the Center in the fall of 2014, and they came close, but full access would not happen until the spring.
The ISC is the newest addition to the University of Massachusetts Boston campus, located adjacent to the Quinn Administration Building and the Healey Library. With an approximate 220,000 square feet of space, the ISC will include 80 research laboratories and support space for biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and environmental sciences.
Meeting the requirements for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver-Certification, the eco-friendly ISC building will be the first new academic building added to the UMass Boston campus in nearly 40 years.
According to Sutherland, the construction team is currently putting the final touches on the ISC’s interiors before the grand opening during the Spring 2015 semester. This fall will initiate the process of moving faculty into their new offices, in addition to the installation of the 80 laboratories.
Sutherland added that more laboratories are also expected for undergraduate introductory biology labs, interdisciplinary undergraduate sandbox teaching, and infant cognition research. Furthermore, two new research centers for Personalized Cancer Therapy and Developmental Sciences Research are expected.
Through ISC, the University aims at advancing student and faculty access, community engagement, and state-of-the-art research. Plenty of space for study, exhibits, and communication will be available in the building’s food service and lounge areas, conference rooms, and exhibition space.
Construction on the four-story General Academic Building No. 1 (GAB 1) is proceeding nicely, and as Sutherland reports, “Crews are madly working to enclose the structure for winter.” This is the second new academic facility, after the ISC, in the University’s 25-year Campus Master Plan which aims to accommodate the University’s growing student population and wide array of courses.
GAB 1 is located on the north-east corner of campus, adjacent to the Campus Center. With a 500-seat lecture hall, four additional 150 to 200 seat lecture halls & over 100 new classrooms; promises to be hard to miss.
GAB 1 will sport 180,000 square feet for classrooms, studios, and teaching laboratories. This will include space for three academic programs; Art, Chemistry, and Performing Arts. GAB 1 is scheduled to open in the Fall 2015 semester.
The $182 million ISC is partially funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Higher Education Bill, the UMass Building Authority and MassDevelopment, managed by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), and constructed by Walsh Brothers.
The construction manager for the GAB No. 1 is Gilbane Building Company, the architect is Wilson Architects, and the major financing source and building partner is the UMass Building Authority.