The new academic building will encompass an area of 181,000 square feet and will be built on the former North Lot, located on the northeast corner of campus, adjacent to the Campus Centre. The four-storied building will provide nearly 2,000 seats of general-purpose classroom space, along with a theatre, recital hall, studios, teaching labs, student lounges, and a cafeteria.
The new facility will house three academic programs, namely Art, Chemistry, and Performing Arts. The building will incorporate many sustainable design strategies and will seek LEED Silver certification.
GAB No. 1 building will provide a 500-seat lecture hall, four 150–200-seat lecture halls, two case-method classrooms, a multi-media 63-seat studio classroom, thirteen 30–40-seat classrooms, and five 20-seat seminar classrooms.
It will also offer studios for digital media, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video; critique, presentation, and exhibition spaces; and faculty, staff, and administrative offices. The Chemistry Teaching Laboratories and Non-Research Spaces section of the building will offer teaching laboratories for general, physiological, analytical, physical/structural, organic, and inorganic chemistry and associated support spaces; and faculty, staff, and administrative offices.
Performing Arts Department of the school will feature a reconfigurable theatre seating between 130 and 200; a 150-seat recital hall; dance, acting, and music performance and practice studios; and faculty, staff, and administrative offices. The Offices and Public Areas of the building will comprise of faculty and staff offices, a café, student lounge, and study spaces.
The project forms part of a 25-year master plan that includes the development of Integrated Sciences Complex; the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate; and additional academic, residential, athletic, and parking facilities.
The construction management services will be provided by Gilbane Building Company, while UMass Building Authority will fund and manage the project. The GAB No. 1 is expected to open in 2015.
