“The integrated Sciences Complex (ISC) is 65 percent complete,” states Holly Sutherland, Manager of Master Plan and Construction Communications at University of Massachusetts Boston. Accordingly, ISC is still on track for opening in fall 2014.
ISC is adjacent to the Quinn Administration Building and the Healey Library. It will provide 220,000 gross square feet of space featuring 80 labs. This space will include research labs and support space for biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and environmental sciences.
The ISC construction began in June 2011, and the completion of it will represent the first new academic building on the University of Massachusetts Boston campus in nearly 40 years.
Nobert Simon, a junior majoring in exercise health science, expresses joy at the prospect of a new building designed for science. As he put it, “having a new facility designed for science lab use is great. This new building can make attending labs more interesting and enjoyable.”
The first floor will grant access to a panoramic harbor view along with creating campus visibility from Morrissey Boulevard. There will also be a concourse level space designed for exhibitions, special events and presentations. Additionally, there will be a café and lounge for students, faculty, staff and visitors with an adjacent seating area.
“From the researchers’ perspective, the people who are going to be working, and the students who are going to study in this building is nothing other than good news,” said Sutherland.
“This building will create a lot of opportunities for students to do research that some of their previous spaces were not suited for,” added Sutherland.
According to Sutherland, the furnishings for the new facility has already been selected and the management is about to buy new equipment for where it will be needed. Furthermore, there is a group of people who are moving old equipment that will still be used.
The project is managed by the Division of Capital Asset Management. Sutherland is optimistic that the 35 percent remaining for the completion of building can be achieved by fall 2014. “That is [the management] goal,” she stated.