Two UMass Amherst buildings were recognized by the Boston Society of Architecture (BSA) at the organization’s annual award ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 23 at the BSA Space in downtown Boston.
Old Chapel was one of 13 projects to receive a 2019 Award for Accessible Design. The Accessible Design Awards program recognizes design excellence in buildings or facilities that are accessible for persons of all abilities. Successful projects include the integration of accessibility requirements and exceed the legal requirements with features that anticipate diverse user needs and benefits. Old Chapel is also LEED Gold Certified, which recognizes construction project for using sustainable building techniques and creating sustainable facilities. Jeff Quackenbush was the UMass project manager and the architecture firm was Finegold Alexander Architect, Inc.
The North Chiller Plant was one of 16 projects to receive a 2019 Honor Award for Design Excellence. The recognition highlights exemplary projects that serve as inspiration for practitioners and elevate the potential for positive impact that architecture has on quality of life for everyone. The chiller plant provides cooling to the northern area of campus and was designed to showcase the inner workings of the plant, which is located in the engineering quadrant of campus. It is on target for LEED Gold Certification. Ted Mendoza was the UMass project manager and the design was done by Leers Weinzapfel Associates.
Several representatives from UMass Amherst design and construction management attended the award ceremony.