The 94,000 sf Computer Science Laboratories (CSL) Building expands the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, supporting 40 new faculty and 200 researchers. Guided by the college’s vision of “Computing for the Common Good,” CSL brings research workplaces, specialized laboratories, making, teaching, and public programs together. Directly linked to the Computer Science Building and adjacent to the Lederle Graduate Research Center, it anchors a growing computing district on the northern edge of campus.

The building is organized around a transparent, multi-story commons that joins research workplaces to the east with laboratories, classrooms, a makerspace, and a 240-seat auditorium to the west. Connecting the new and existing buildings, the commons draws students and faculty together around a café, colloquium space, informal work areas, and gatherings. Interior windows make robotics, sensor research, and fabrication visible from the main circulation routes. Daylight and exposed timber add warmth to the four-story interior. Accessible paths, gathering areas, and terraced rain gardens extend the building into the campus landscape.

CSL is the first building at UMass Amherst to earn LEED Platinum certification and a model for the university’s Path to Carbon Zero. Glulam columns and beams with cross-laminated timber decks reduce embodied carbon by approximately 58% compared with conventional steel-and-concrete construction—equivalent to nearly two decades of operational carbon savings. An all-electric design, high-performance envelope, and connection to a ground-source heat exchange system reduce modeled operational energy use by more than 40 percent. Low-carbon concrete further limits the impact of construction, while blue roofs, bioswales, and a cistern reduce pressure on campus stormwater infrastructure. Daylight, views, and low-emitting materials support occupant well-being.

CSL advances the college’s research mission and marks a significant step in UMass Amherst’s transition to a carbon-zero campus.