Early on the morning of Monday, May 13, a mobile van loaded with research equipment arrived on campus. Worcester Biomedical Research Foundation Chair I The professor and chair of neurobiology will need to establish a new office and lab at the University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine.
And so began a carefully planned process to move faculty, staff, and equipment to a new education and research building on the Worcester campus.
“This day is the culmination of the great vision and determination of the Chancellor and the Chancellor, and nearly four years of planning, design and construction,” said David Flanagan, Vice Chancellor for Facilities. “This is a great milestone for our campus.”
After weeks of testing and inspection by a team from the state building authority and the Worcester Fire Department, the green light to move was given on Friday, May 10, when a temporary certificate of occupancy was issued.
Residents of the building will move in in stages. That's because, although the building is currently considered “nearly complete,” interior finishing work still remains to make all laboratories and public spaces accessible to the public.
“This building is not yet open to the campus community,” said John Beyer, senior director of spatial planning and occupancy management. “There is minor construction work taking place on several floors and due to the logistics of relocation we cannot disturb people.”
Dr. Winder's laboratory will be relocated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. Prior to coming to Massachusetts Chan, Dr. Winder was the Bixler Johnson Mays Professor of Basic Sciences, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Pharmacology. , was a professor of psychiatry. Other tenants are moving from the Lazar Research Building, Albert Sherman Center and Biotech 2 spaces, including the Holae Gene Therapy Center. Department of Neurology and Neurobiology, including the Wellstone Center. program in molecular medicine; and a division of psychiatry.
A move plan is developed over several months and includes detailed instructions for safely moving laboratory supplies, chemicals, and equipment. “It was a thorough and collaborative planning effort, working with academic departments, support departments, and the construction team,” Beyer said.
The official opening of the building is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, June 7, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony open to the campus community. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, renowned global public health leader and Director-General of the World Health Organization, will deliver the keynote address at the event.
Construction on the nine-story, 350,000-square-foot building began in 2020. The building was designed to serve as a collaborative research space and provide teaching and conference space for Chan University's three graduate schools.
The building is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification for energy efficiency and sustainability, in line with Chan University's commitment to environmental responsibility.
The construction manager for the new building is Shawmut Design and Construction. The architect was ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge (the same firm that designed the Sherman Center), but he collaborated with ZGF Architects on the design. TERVA/Trident is the owner project manager for this project.