The wow factor: open house at the Albert Sherman Center
| By Bryan Goodchild and Michael Cohen | January 10, 2013 |
| UMass Medical School Communications | |
Eyes were wide. Faces animated. Subtle “oohs” and “wows” were heard as people from across campus streamed through the Albert Sherman Center (ASC) on Wednesday, Jan. 9, for their first look inside the new building.
An estimated 2,000 people attended the open house, seeing the newly finished public spaces on the first three floors of the building and the laboratories on the fourth floor. “We’re very pleased with the turnout, and people seem to be really excited about what they’re seeing,” said Shawn McGuinness, senior architect at UMMS and project manager who guided the ASC design team. “The public spaces will always be accessible, but once the researchers move in, the laboratories are restricted. So it was nice for the whole community to have a chance to see the new labs.”
After the open house, the ASC will remain locked for several weeks and accessible only to facilities staff and the early occupants. The first research group is expected to begin moving in during the week of Jan. 14. It will take approximately five months to complete the move-in for all the research and education programs slated for the ASC. The public spaces of the building, including the new food service area and fitness center, are scheduled to open in the spring.
Watch a video that captures the excitement at the open house: