Masonry Archives • Building Fundamentals

Worcester Dining Commons at UMass Amherst (Mockup)

April 3, 2020May 23, 2026 by Alex SchreyerNo Comments

Opened in October 2020, the Worcester Commons building at UMass Amherst is an 87,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility designed by Perry Dean Rogers Architects to anchor the Northeast Residential Area. Replacing the original mid-century dining hall, this $68 million, three-story building functions as a vibrant student life hub that seamlessly blends award-winning dining with campus community spaces. This mockup provides an excellent closeup view of one of the exterior design elements: A "pulled brick" design was employed in parts of the facade where header bricks occasionally protrude beyond the wall surface, creating a pattern that provides interesting shadows over the course of the day. Gallery Mockup Specs Location: University of Massachusetts, North Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01003, USA Mockup Produced By: Shawmut Construction Status: Removed Image taken: April 2020 Photographer: Alexander Schreyer...

Project at Boston Seaport (Mockup)

March 15, 2019May 23, 2026 by Alex SchreyerNo Comments

This was one of those projects where I just happened upon a construction site. An interesting feature of this mockup is the use of several corbeled soldier-course bricks at the parapet level. Mockup Specs Location: Seaport, Boston, MA, USA Mockup Produced By: Unknown Status: Removed Image taken: March 2019 Photographer: Alexander Schreyer...

John W. Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst (Mockup)

April 15, 2016May 24, 2026 by Alex SchreyerNo Comments

Opened in January 2017, the John W. Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst is a pioneering, 87,500-square-foot facility that serves as a highly visible showcase for green building technology and sustainable architecture. Designed by Boston-based firm Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the $52 million, four-story structure co-locates three closely aligned disciplines: the Department of Architecture, the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning (LARP), and the Building and Construction Technology (BCT) program. Although this building is structurally a Type IV-HT heavy-timber building, the mockup was only used to work on the exterior envelope and therefore omits the main structural system. It is a good example for an aluminum clad rain-screen design, though, and it shows nicely the parapet design (later covered in aluminum paneling). Our Mass Timber book covers this building and its various details extensively. Mockup Specs Location: University of Massachusetts, North Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01003, USA Mockup Produced By: Suffolk Construction Status: Removed Image taken: April 2016 Photographer: Alexander Schreyer Links The John W. Olver Design Building at UMass...

Integrated Sciences Building at UMass Amherst (Mockup)

September 20, 2007May 24, 2026 by Alex SchreyerNo Comments

Designed by the architecture firm Payette and completed in 2009, the Integrated Sciences Building (ISB) at UMass Amherst is a 188,000-square-foot facility that serves as a major gateway for the university's life, chemical, and physical sciences. Architecturally, the building marks a deliberate shift away from the anonymous, insular laboratory designs of the mid-20th century, replacing them with a highly transparent, sustainable, and collaborative environment. This mockup highlights the masonry facade, which uses different color brick courses to give each story a horizontal accent. Mockup Specs Location: University of Massachusetts, North Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01003, USA Mockup Produced By: Gilbane Construction Co. Status: Removed Image taken: September 2007 Photographer: Alexander Schreyer...

Residence Halls (James and Stearns) at Amherst College (Mockup)

November 7, 2004May 24, 2026 by Alex SchreyerNo Comments

Designed by William Rawn & Associates and constructed by Barr & Barr Builders between 2004 and 2005, the rebuilding of James and Stearns Halls replaced deteriorating 1946 concrete structures with modern, contextual residence halls. Positioned on the eastern edge of Amherst College's historic First-Year Quad, the design goal was to harmonize a modern residential interior with the traditional New England collegiate brick vernacular of the surrounding campus. Most mockups don't include the main structural system (steel in this case) in their cutaway form. It is therefore quite amazing that this mockup features a cutaway corner, complete the full exterior facade and with bolted connections and rafter parts on the inside. Mockup Specs Location: Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA Mockup Produced By: Barr & Barr Builders Status: Removed Image taken: November 2004 Photographer: Alexander Schreyer...