A dramatic demonstration of our commitment to sustainable design and material research, the new University of Massachusetts, Amherst Integrated Design Building (IDB) will be one of the first institutional buildings in the Northeast to employ an engineered timber structure. A concept fueled by the school’s current research in building technology and made possible by a grant through the 2014 Environmental Bond Bill, the building will have a glue-laminated wood frame, floor slabs of composite, exposed cross-laminate timber (CLT) plank and cast-in-place concrete, and will be a demonstration of leading-edge timber engineering.

The IDB brings together the previously dispersed departments of Landscape Architecture, Architecture, and Building Construction Technology in a dynamic space of exchange, collaboration, and experiment. Organized around an interior atrium spanned by a dramatic timber “zipper” truss, and an exterior landscaped courtyard / outdoor classroom, the design celebrates a shared commitment to sustainability. Our international wood structural design team includes Vancouver- based Equilibrium Consulting Engineers. The project will be a model for the sustainable integration of building technology, landscape, and architecture for the entire University of Massachusetts campus.

The Integrated Design Building will be featured in the upcoming May 20th issue of Architects Newspaper