Come get a sneak peek of the Albert Sherman Center

Campus community invited to an open house on Jan. 9

With the finishing touches nearly completed at the Albert Sherman Center (ASC), members of the campus community will soon get an up-close look at the building, even though it won’t formally open for several weeks. Staff, employees and students are invited to an open house on Wednesday, Jan. 9, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., to see the first four levels of the new building before the official opening on Monday, Jan. 14.

Soon after Christmas, the stone work on the plazas around the building will be complete and the yellow guard rails will come down. People are welcome to walk around the building, see the new outside spaces of the project and peek into the windows. The building itself, however, will remain closed.

“We are still moving in furniture, installing equipment, cleaning and completing punch-list items, so we won’t have general public access to the building for several more weeks,” said John Baker, associate vice chancellor of facilities management, who is overseeing the ASC project.

What people can do, weather permitting, is get a sense of how the new building connects to the rest of the campus at ground level. “We spent a lot of time and thought on the design and landscaping of the external spaces around the building,” Baker said. “What the campus really lacked was nice outside spaces for people to sit, to relax, to take lunch outside on a sunny day. So we have worked to create that through the Sherman Center project. I think, especially come spring, people will really like what they see and enjoy the outside spaces.”

At the open house on Wednesday, Jan. 9, people are encouraged to enter the ASC from the ground level, through the revolving door facing the quad. Secondary access will be available at that time from the pedestrian bridges that connect to the employee garage and the second floor of the main Medical School building.

“The building will be open for some self-guided tours, and we’ll have staff on hand to answer questions and help people find their way around,” Baker said.

After the open house, the ASC will remain locked and accessible only to facilities and operations staff. The first occupants of the building are expected to begin moving in during the week of January 14.

Related links on UMassMedNow:

National Grid awards UMMS $1.6 million for Sherman Center efficiencies

Planning the big move to the Albert Sherman Center

Garage framework completed as roadwork begins

See a virtual 3-D tour inside the Sherman Center

Sherman Center video series: Designing efficiencies

Sherman Center video series: Virtual reality check

Sherman Center video series: Evolutionary design

Sherman Center video series: An early look at the Sherman Center lab spaces

Sherman Center website