2025 East Best Projects
Award of Merit, Excellence in Sustainability: UMass Chan Medical School - Paul J. DiMare Center
UMass Chan Medical School - Paul J. DiMare Center
Worcester, Mass.
Award of Merit
Submitted by Shawmut Design and Construction
Owner: UMass Chan Medical School/UMass Building Authority
Lead Design Firm: ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge
Construction Manager: Shawmut Design and Construction
Civil Engineer: VHB
Structural Engineer: RSE
MEP Engineer: BR+A
Architect: ZGF Architects
The nine-story, 354,000-sq-ft facility advances cutting-edge biomedical research and next-generation medical education while also setting a new standard for sustainability.
Housing more than 70 principal investigators and their teams, the facility provides flexible wet labs, active-learning classrooms, hybrid-ready instructional space and shared public areas that foster interdisciplinary collaboration.
Strategically positioned between two research buildings, the project required demolition of an active six-story garage and precise logistics to minimize disruptions.
Photo by Robert Benson Photography, courtesy of Shawmut Design and Construction
At the heart of the sustainability strategy is a groundbreaking geothermal system installed beneath the campus quad. Consisting of 75 closed-loop boreholes, the system supplies most of the building’s heating demand and half of its cooling needs.
An exterior envelope with triple-glazed curtain wall eliminates the need for perimeter heat and reduces thermal load, while dual 16-ft energy recovery wheels reclaim 80% of the energy from exhausted air.
During construction, the project team prioritized sustainable practices through waste diversion, low-emitting materials and regional sourcing.
