School of Public Health & Health Sciences HUB
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Amherst, MA

The HUB creates a unified gathering place for the dispersed School of Public Health & Health Sciences (SPHHS) – a new core where students can learn, collaborate, access support and advising services, and foster a stronger sense of community.

One of the most important and growing schools at the University of Massachusetts, SPHHS is a national leader in finding ways to improve public health and quality of life for all, with a focus on reducing inequities. The 26,800 sf Hub will house team-based learning classrooms, seminar rooms, collaboration spaces, advising offices and at its core, a school-wide Commons space that overlooks and engages with the exterior entry plaza.

The site is north of a rotary that previously marked the edge of the academic buildings in this section of campus. The new building connects with the 1958 Totman Gymnasium, now home to the SPHHS Department of Kinesiology.  A large plaza between the new and existing buildings opens to the main campus to the south and its form it anticipates campus expansion in the future. The plaza will be used for warm weather outdoor activities, common for the mission of the school. A wildflower lined bioretention system, designed with a series of weirs and spillways, daylights stormwater run-off, minimizing underground pipes and cisterns.

To enter, the visitor passes through the shaded plaza, past the glazed commons and into a link connecting the Gym and the Hub. Mass timber structure and a grand wood stair highlight the warm inviting Commons space intended for student touchdown and study spaces along with school-wide gathering events. Doors open back to the shaded plaza in the warmer months. Classrooms are varied in size, flexible in their uses and each is adjacent to the double height Commons. First floor classes can spill out into the Commons and then onto the plaza, which is sized accommodate tent events.

The high-performance exterior envelope takes cues from the material palette of the adjacent Totman building. The ground floor is clad in warm-toned metal panels, while the upper floors utilize light-colored brick in a deeply textured pattern, referencing the limestone pilasters that define the Totman entry. Bird-friendly triple-glazing is used throughout, with deep vertical fins providing passive sun and glare control in the glazed Commons area.

The building design addresses key public health priorities, encouraging pedestrian movement, providing access to natural light, and promoting connections with the outdoors. Recognizing the impact of environmental chemicals on public health, the building material selection minimizes the use of plastics and emphasizes Red List Free products. In alignment with UMass’ Carbon Zero Plan, the Hub incorporates net-zero-ready, all-electric systems. With a pEUI of 29 kBTU/sf, the SPHHS Hub is on track to exceed AIA 2030 Commitment targets with an 82% reduction from baseline energy use.