530 Amherst College

Amherst College is located west of Boston and north of New York, at the edge of the Berkshire Mountains. Its historic campus is organized around a central quad, while newer areas developed over time, creating two distinct campus identities. The project uses an existing site to create a new building that brings these parts of the campus together.

The existing Merrill-McGuire building sat at the edge of the hill, creating a barrier to views and movement across campus. Although it was originally adjacent to the quad, its position became increasingly obstructive over time. From the outset, the aim was to avoid repeating this condition and create a more open, modest building in dialogue with the campus.

After winning the competition, the client asked us to restart the design. The revised concept combined the student centre with a dining hall, expanding the program from approximately 80,000 to nearly 120,000 square feet. It was conceived as a place of well-being and joy, bringing together movement activities, student support spaces, and dining in a building active almost around the clock.

We looked for a sustainable way to work with the existing building, as the college was open to adaptive reuse. Our study showed that the upper, obstructive portion needed to be removed, while the lower two levels — too constrained for larger student-center spaces — could accommodate the dining hall. We therefore proposed removing the upper floors to expose the existing concrete structure.

We introduced a new “table” defining the line between the old and the new, with a lightweight timber structure above housing the main student-center program. Taking advantage of the diagonal approach through the site, we established a central living room connecting to the corner historically known as “the beach,” with a ramped landscape leading through the building toward the dining hall and outside.

In November 2020, a letter from college president Biddy Martin set out a broader vision for the student centre, focused on atmosphere rather than simply rooms: light, views, activity, food, and a fluid relationship between inside and outside. We retained the earlier concept but shifted its focus to a central gathering point — the Crossroads Lounge — connected by an internal street, the Hangout Boulevard. A large central “table” forms the gathering floor beneath a broad roof, with smaller timber pavilions above.

The building has four levels and two entrances: Level 1 connects to the greenway, while the principal entrance from the quad is at Level 3. The opened-up former Merrill-McGuire block frames views toward the mountains, entrance, plaza, and terraces. The entrance leads to the Crossroads Lounge, which links the living room, “beach,” and event spaces. A courtyard brings daylight into the deep plan. Meeting spaces cluster around this central core, while offices sit toward the perimeter. Level 4 includes the Den Lounge, prayer room, dance spaces, theatre, student group spaces, and outdoor areas.

Level 2, within the existing concrete structure, contains the dining commons, kitchen, and back-of-house areas. With approximately 900 seats, it offers varied food options and dining settings. Level 1 contains the greenway entrance, with games, a grab-and-go shop, seating, and vending beneath the stairs, as well as a maker space, music rooms, radio station, mailroom, staff offices, and an alumni pub. The rough character of the existing concrete was retained where possible, with new additions deliberately blurring the distinction between old and new.

Student well-being drove the program and is part of Amherst’s wider sustainability agenda. Connected to the campus energy plant, geothermal systems, and grid, the fully electric building is designed to make its environmental strategies visible to students. Retaining part of the Merrill-McGuire structure saves approximately 1,900 tonnes of embodied carbon, while operational emissions are projected to be reduced by around 93% over 60 years. Solar generation, native planting, terraces, and on-site stormwater retention further support energy, biodiversity, and water-management goals.

The window-to-wall ratio and large overhangs were carefully designed to limit solar gain and reduce energy use. The building is entirely clad in wood, using a double-grid facade system developed in response to the constraints of the existing structure. The upper levels use lightly oiled Western Red Cedar, while the lower levels use the same timber with a near-black stain that takes on an eggplant tone in sunlight. “Eyelid” elements reduce the apparent size of openings while maintaining seated views and providing surfaces for display and other interior uses.

The lower levels retain the existing concrete structure; at Level 2, approximately two-thirds of the columns were cut to establish a consistent height. Above, the new structure becomes mass timber, with a “transfer table” carrying the timber grid onto the irregular existing concrete grid. The key challenge was reconciling precisely fabricated timber components with concrete columns that varied in size and position. Custom structural capitals and puzzle-like mechanical connections centre the loads, accommodate tolerances, and avoid exposed metal connectors. The timber was fabricated in Canada and delivered in installation sequence for assembly as a kit of parts.

Construction began by carving out the existing building and demolishing unnecessary portions, followed by the beam-by-beam assembly of the new mass-timber structure. Extensive mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems were integrated, particularly for the kitchen and dining areas. Unexpected elements uncovered during construction were, in some cases, retained in their raw condition rather than concealed. Once the timber structure was complete, the facade was installed. The concrete staircase was cast afterwards, requiring careful coordination to avoid damaging the finished timber.