Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Academic Center and Student Residences

Because of unparalleled growth in admissions, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) needed to create space for a new academic and student center on a campus with little available land.
The resulting dual-purpose building houses teaching laboratories for chemistry, pharmacy practice and pharmaceuticals; a library; a formal lobby and entrance; and suite-style residence halls for 233 students. To accommodate the tight space, the center was built on one of the last narrow strips of land on campus—
directly in front of the historic White Building.
A 20-foot-wide connecting glass atrium, or “jewel box,” displays this iconic building, and its original facade is maintained within. The open space between the old and new structures preserves the history of the MCPHS campus, and creates a valuable meeting area for students and visitors.
To create a new identity for the college, six iconic stainless-steel columns at the main entrance of the center mirror the Neoclassical columns of the White Building, providing a more modern and monumental formal entry that echoes the former identity of the MCPHS.

“The project turns site and urban limitations into a special building.”–2006 jury

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