General Academic Building No. 1
UMass Boston's General Academic Building No. 1 will serve a large cross-representation of students, faculty, and staff and support the university's growing student enrollment and course offerings. The four-story building will provide nearly 2,000 seats in state-of-the-art general purpose classrooms, faculty and staff offices, a café, a student lounge and study spaces, as well as space for three academic programs: art, chemistry, and performing arts.
The new building will provide approximately 180,000 square feet for:
• General Classrooms and Support Space
- a 500-seat lecture hall
- four 150–200-seat lecture halls
- two case-method classrooms
- a multi-media 63-seat studio classroom
- thirteen 30–40-seat classrooms
- five 20-seat seminar classrooms
• Art Department
- studios for digital media, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video
- critique, presentation, and exhibition spaces
- faculty, staff, and administrative offices
• Chemistry Teaching Laboratories and Non-Research Spaces
- teaching laboratories for general, physiological, analytical, physical/structural, organic, and inorganic chemistry and associated support spaces
- faculty, staff, and administrative offices
• Performing Arts Department
- a reconfigurable theater seating between 130 and 200
- a 150-seat recital hall
- dance, acting, and music performance and practice studios
- faculty, staff, and administrative offices
• Offices and Public Areas
- faculty and staff offices
- a café
- student lounge and study spaces
GAB No. 1 will be located on the northeast corner of campus, adjacent to campus, on the former North Lot (Master Plan Site B). Funded by the UMass Building Authority, the $113 million project is in the early phase of construction. Designed by Wilson Architects, the new building is incorporating many sustainable design strategies and will seek LEED Silver certification. Gilbane Building Company is serving as the project’s construction manager.
It is anticipated that GAB No. 1 will open in mid- 2015.
