A New Building for the Future of Computing

At the UMass Amherst Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS), we are building a collaborative hub for the future of computing and the Commonwealth. Located on the north side of campus and linked to the existing Computer Science Building, the 90,000-square-foot facility will bring together computer science students and faculty in classrooms, research labs, and community spaces designed to inspire creativity and collaboration in service of the common good. Designed by the architectural firm Perkins Eastman, the building is slated to open in spring 2025.

For sixty years, our community of problem-solvers and innovators has been at the forefront of revolutionary ideas in computing research and education—ideas that have fueled the Commonwealth’s innovation economy, expanded the field’s reach, and helped solve global-scale problems across disciplines. In that pioneering spirit, our goal is to create an integrated academic and research space that accommodates our rapid growth, serves as a destination for our community, and enables the next big ideas in computing and technology.

Building News

Governor, Chancellor Break Ground on New $125 Million Facility

Sept 22, 2022
Former Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito were on hand to celebrate the state’s capital investment in the new facility.
Construction Impact & Service Interruptions

Facts & Figures

90,000 gross square feet
Sustainable low-carbon building with Mass-timber construction, space for roof solar array, and planned connection to nearby geothermal field
3 student commons for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students
240 seat auditorium
100 seat multi-purpose room

4,000 square foot makerspace
Research labs with seats for 140 graduate students
Special-purpose research labs for thematic research areas
3 classrooms
40 faculty offices

"With this new facility, we’ll be able to bring together our talented students, faculty, and staff in classrooms, labs, and communal spaces specially designed for computing education and research. This new, signature building for our college will enable our community to do more of the collaborative, high-impact, human-centered work that has been the hallmark of UMass Amherst computing for the past sixty years.”

Laura Haas
Donna M. and Robert J. Manning Dean

The Future starts here

Connection

Welcoming, light-filled student commons, a café, and a variety of indoor and outdoor communal spaces will enable one-on-one and group interactions and connect students with resources for support.

Learning

A 240-seat lecture hall, two modern and flexible sixty-seat classrooms, and a fully equipped makerspace will provide state-of-the-art educational facilities for formal and informal learning.

Discovery

Purpose-built labs will set the stage for collaborative research and a cross-pollination of ideas, enabling our talented faculty and researchers to make new breakthroughs in foundational and applied computing.

Growth

With forty new faculty offices and much needed educational facilities, the building will accommodate the college’s rapid growth, helping to meet the unprecedented demand for computing talent in the Commonwealth and beyond.

Collaboration

High-tech meeting and huddle rooms, including a multi-purpose auditorium, will facilitate creative collaborations between faculty, students, industry partners, and visitors from around the world.

Sustainability

With low-carbon Mass timber construction, on-site solar array, and a planned connection to a nearby geothermal well field, the building will prioritize low energy use, minimize the use of fossil fuels, and serve as a model for the UMass Carbon Zero initiative.

A Destination for Computing Along Governors Drive

Located on the north side of campus, the college’s new building will sit between the college’s two existing facilities—the Computer Science Building and the Lederle Graduate Research Center Lowrise—creating a center of activity for UMass Amherst computing along Governors Drive.