A Zero-Net Energy classroom and lab building that will transform the college’s next generation of hands-on instruction
MassBay Community College Health Science Center
Currently under construction, the new health science center at MassBay Community College is scheduled to open in the fall of 2023
The new health science center for MassBay Community College will provide hands-on skills training centered on student engagement and success. The design—led by Sasaki with Studio Enee Architects—incorporates strategies to support a variety of academic and operational needs including hybridized learning, de-densification, extended hours, revised circulation strategies, and more frequent remote work.
The design of the building and its ongoing evolution responds to MassBay’s unique academic mission and the diverse needs of its 6,000 students, of whom 85% work full- or part-time and more than one in three are first-generation college students. The 70,000-square-foot project supports MassBay’s leading health sciences programs, including teaching spaces for EMT, Paramedicine, Simulation, Nursing, Radiology, Sonography, and Phlebotomy, as well as Early Childhood Education and its Academic Achievement Center.
Building Organization
The building’s main academic spaces are organized in two bars of classrooms and labs, lined with connective informal student spaces that double as circulation to and from the central lobby. This central node includes a café and flexible spaces for students to gather between classes, which are particularly important given the needs of MassBay’s commuter students. The connective circulation spaces overlook two entry courtyards—also designed by Sasaki.
Site plan
The lobby includes a café and flexible spaces for students to gather between classes
Additional seating for students is provided on the second floor which links together academic spaces
Study nooks are carved out along classroom corridors
Lab corridor
Additional seating for students is provided on the second floor which links together academic spaces
Study nooks are carved out along classroom corridors
Lab corridor
Sustainability
The new building will incorporate a variety of sustainable strategies with the aim of being Zero-Net Energy ready (with the addition of a third-part photovoltaic array) and achieving LEED+ Gold certification.
The two-story atrium around which all student support space is organized includes triple glazing and solar shading, and is integral to helping the project meet its sustainability aims. Ground-source heat pumps supplement the heating and cooling systems.
Other key sustainability strategies include R-30 wall assemblies, high-efficiency mechanical equipment, and direct connection to the landscape through site plantings
The exterior design features a public art piece entitled “WATER FINDS A WAY” by local artists at MASARY Studios
For more information contact Fiske Crowell.
