A new US $350 million research and education tower on the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) Chan Medical School campus in Worcester has been unveiled. School admin have claimed the new facility will strengthen its position as a leader in developing cutting edge treatments. Standing at 9 stories’ tall, the new glass-paneled building will be a hub for neurology and gene therapy for illnesses like ALS and Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, it includes labs and other facilities that will allow researchers to conduct clinical trials and other experiments. A great achievement during construction was the diverse team it stressed on having. US $50 million in contracting money went to companies owned by women or people of color.
Construction Hurdles
Additionally, construction was completed on time and on budget. UMass Chan launched the project in 2020 and faced various supply chain issues due to the pandemic. The school still managed to finish within the timeframe it had set. UMass Chan Chancellor Michael Collins said that had the school started the project later, inflation would have more than doubled the cost and derailed the plans. What’s more, the UMass Chan Medical School relies completely on renewable energy for heat and air conditioning. Not only will it serve as a research hub, but it will help boost Worcester’s economy.
UMass research tower funding
Three years ago, UMass Chan Medical School received a US $175 million donation that more than doubled its funding. Two years later, administrators said the school locked-in more than US $320 million in federal and private research grants. This alone made it one of the fastest growing research institutions in the country. And earlier this month, the school graduated its largest class in history since its founding in the 1960’s. The school is Massachusetts’ only public medical school. Officials have stated that the new center will add to the city’s identity as an ever-growing biotech and life sciences hotspot.
“This building reflects the ambitions and capabilities of a university committed to discovery, learning and healing. We are inspired every day to remember that biomedical research brings hope to the human condition,” said Chancellor Collins.
“We are driven by a hunger for innovation, a hunger for growth and a hunger to meet and exceed our friends to the east,” said state Sen. Robyn Kennedy, who represents the Worcester area.
Also Read: Michigan State University approved US$335 million biomedical research facility project
UMass Lowell US $800 million project
Earlier this year, UMass Lowell announced a US $800 million expansion aimed at increasing commerce and housing. The university aims to bringing hundreds of units of housing, hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial space and a new dormitory to the Mill City.
Construction will unfold in three major phases. The first two phases will happen roughly simultaneously, each adding mixed-use space. One will build out land next to the Tsongas Arena, and a counterpart will take aim a stone’s throw away near the Wannalancit Mills.
According to UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen, both locations will each add a roughly 300,000 square foot building, about 20% of which UMass Lowell will occupy. Companies who want to be close to campus will lease remaining space. She added that she estimates construction will break ground next year and will carry on for two years before occupancy in 2027.
10@8th, the largest new project in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to begin
