Rising on the site of an existing parking lot, UMass Amherst’s new 87,000-sf Worcester Commons will provide the university and its students with a learning hub meant to enhance student life.
The $53 million project will highlight the university’s dining services and include a 1000-seat, all-you-can-eat dining space with 15 different global cuisines, a teaching kitchen, a ground-floor cafe, a commercial bakery, a grab-and-go market, and a new full-service restaurant concept on the top floor.
A “neighborhood center,” will comprise lounges, meeting and club rooms, collaboration spaces, music practice studios, and a fitness center. The site around the new complex will include the replacement of parking and loading spaces, outdoor gathering areas, and community spaces.
See Also: A fresh start: upgrades and expansions mark new school year
Worcester Commons is located at the intersection of two main corridors of the campus and is targeting LEED Gold certification. Shawmut Design and Construction, in partnership with Perry Dean Rogers and Connor Architecture, will design and build the project.
Related Stories
University Buildings | May 13, 2021
Cedarville University's new dining facility includes a 300-seat Chick-fil-A
DesignGroup designed the project.
University Buildings | May 13, 2021
Education Building II at UC Riverside receives final approval
Hensel Phelps + CO Architects will be the design-build team for the project.
Healthcare Facilities | May 5, 2021
HOK to design new Waterloo Eye Institute
The project is being designed for The University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry & Vision Science.
University Buildings | May 4, 2021
UMass Medical School’s new Education and Research Building
ZGF and ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge are designing the project.
University Buildings | Apr 29, 2021
Perkins&Will to design new gateway building for the University of British Columbia
The building will transform the arrival experience for students, staff, and visitors.
University Buildings | Apr 29, 2021
The Weekly Show, April 29, 2021: COVID-19's impact on campus planning, and bird management strategies
This week on The Weekly show, BD+C Senior Editor John Caulfield interviews a duo of industry experts on 1) how campus planning has changed during the pandemic and 2) managing bird infestations on construction sites and completed buildings.
University Buildings | Apr 19, 2021
Duke University’s Wilkinson Building completes
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designed the project.
University Buildings | Apr 15, 2021
Tennessee Tech University’s new recreation and fitness center opens
Wold | HFR Design designed the project.
University Buildings | Apr 12, 2021
University of California Santa Barbara breaks ground on new Classroom Building
LMN Architects designed the project.
University Buildings | Apr 1, 2021
KPF unveils design of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology campus
The project will be built over two phases.
