STATUS
COMPLETED
CLIENT
University of Massachusetts Building Authority
TYPOLOGY
Education, Interiors
SIZE M2/FT2
6,267 / 67,462
SHARE
The copper-clad Business Innovation Hub at the heart of the University of Massachusetts Amherst adds 70,000 sq ft of hyper-collaborative space to one of the top public business school in the United States.
The new expansion and partial renovation of the Isenberg School of Management nearly doubles the school’s current space to accommodate Isenberg’s last decade of growth, while introducing new facilities for more than 150 staff and 5,000 students in undergraduate, masters, and PhD programs.
SITE
— To the north of the existing Isenberg building, fronting the Fine Arts Center and prominently located on Haigis Mall at the entrance to the UMass Amherst campus, the site is at the intersection of popular cross-campus pedestrian and vehicular pathways.
EXTENSION
— The new massing extends the existing Isenberg building footprint directly to the north, allowing for circulation connectivity on all levels.
LOOP BACK
— The new building loops around east and links itself back to the existing Isenberg building.
DONUT
— The new building form completes a circulation loop with two touch points for quick access from any place within the existing Isenberg building.
REQUIRED SEPARATION
— The new building is disengaged from the existing Isenberg by minimum distances in order to maintain the requisite fire separation distance.
PULLING THE FACADE
— Pulling the corner of the new building out at the northwest highlights the Student Learning Commons and anchors the new building along the directional axes of the campus master plan.
MAIN ENTRANCE AND MULTI-STORY LEARNING COMMONS
— The new architecture creates a prominent primary entrance on Presidents Drive, welcoming everyone into the new hub where students will study and where events will be hosted.
COURTYARD
— At the center of the loop is a garden courtyard, providing sunlight and views for programmed areas at the building perimeter, as well as outdoor space for daily repose and special-event gatherings.
NEW ISOM
— Within the context of the UMass Amherst campus, this new building has become both a beacon and a destination. The successful integration of exterior and interior spaces activate this corner of the campus and launched Isenberg into the next phases of growth and success.
Prominently situated on Haigis Mall near the entrance to the campus, a dramatic triangular glass entrance created by a domino-effect greets students. The building exterior is wrapped in straight, vertical pillars that gradually slope downward, creating a distinct appearance without any curved elements.
The Business Innovation Hub directly extends the school’s existing 1964 building from the north and east sides in a wide circular loop, linking back on the upper floors to maintain connectivity. The loop consolidates Isenberg’s faculty and staff under one roof, creating a singular place of arrival and a strong visual identity for the entire Isenberg School of Management.
The Business Innovation Hub’s exterior is clad in copper; long-term exposure to the elements will naturally weather the metal from a dark ochre to an enduring patina.
Upon entering, students and faculty arrive at the 5,000 sq ft Learning Commons. Daylight peers between the accordion-like pillars to illuminate the multi-story atrium, where the heart of the business school hums with students learning, networking and dining. The bright and spacious Learning Commons doubles as an event venue for guest speakers, award ceremonies, banquets and career fairs. In any room or hallway, natural light reaches inside from both the campus and the inner courtyard.
Throughout the Business Innovation Hub, spaces are designed with student interactions, teamwork, and chance encounters in mind: soft chairs adorn the corridors, benches are affixed to the grand stairway, and classroom chairs can easily maneuver for theater-style lectures or small-group work.
On the second and third floors, students and staff occupy the innovation labs, advising spaces and faculty offices. To support the career development of every Isenberg student, classrooms are equipped with integrated technology for distance learning. In addition, the Chase Career Center gains 15 new interview rooms, and various conference rooms and breakout areas are distributed throughout the loop.
The inner spaces of the extension face a circular courtyard which connects back to the campus via two pathways between the original Isenberg building and the Business Innovation Hub. The buildings are fused by two bridges above the paths: the large bridge cloaked in copper becomes the gateway to the courtyard while the small bridge glazed with glass forms a visual continuity around the interior courtyard.
“The Business Innovation Hub is conceived as an extension of both the building and the campus mall. The linear structure is bent to form a full loop framing an internal courtyard for the life of the students. The façade is pulled away in a domino effect to create a generous invitation from the Haigis Mall to the Learning Commons. The mall and the courtyard–inside and outside form a forum for the students, the faculty and the profession to meet, mingle and mix society and academia.”
Bjarke Ingels Kai-Uwe Bergmann Thomas Christoffersen Daniel Sundlin Beat Schenk Fabian Lorenz Jan Leenknegt Margaret Tyrpa Pauline Lavie-Luong Seo Young Shin Terrence Chew Yu Inamoto Deb Campbell Francesca Portesine Alice Cladet Amina Blacksher Barbara Stallone Cheyenne Vandevoorde Daniel Kidd Davide Maggio Denys Kozak Derek Wong Douglass Alligood Elena Bresciani Emily Mohr Ibrahim Salman Justyna Mydlak Kristoffer Negendahl Ku Hun Chung Linda Halim Manon Otto Maria Eugenia Dominguez Mustafa Khan Nicolas Gustin Pei Pei Yang Simon Lee Tianqi Zhang Tore Banke Yehezkiel Wiliardy Manik Yixin Li Hung-Kai Liao Benjamin Caldwell Domenic Schmid Lucas Hong Peter Lee
AWARDS
Prix Versailles Exterior World Award, 2020
COLLABORATORS
Goody Clancy Architects
Richmond So Engineers
Arup
Nitsch
VAV
Towers Golde
Haley & Aldrich
Acentech
HLB
SGH
PEER
WIL-SPEC
VJA
Lerch Bates
LN Consulting
Mohar Design
Dimeo
BIG Ideas
