AMHERST — On Friday, Oct. 27, the Design Building at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was christened the John W. Olver Design Building in honor of the retired congressman and former UMass Amherst chemistry professor.
UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy and state Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg, D-Amherst, joined Olver to announce the dedication in a ceremony at the building, according to a statement released by the university.
“There is no other project on the UMass Amherst campus that better personifies John Olver’s commitment to the environment, his love of science and planning, and his desire to bring people together for the greater good than the Design Building,” Subbaswamy said.
The building, at 551 N. Pleasant St., opened in April, three years after Olver made the push to build a timber structure, as inspired by Peggi L. Clouston, an associate professor of environmental conservation at UMass Amherst. Olver worked to convince campus officials to adopt the innovative construction technology, the statement said.
In a letter to UMass President Martin T. Meehan advocating that the building be named for Olver, Subbaswamy wrote, “Within the span of a week, Olver changed the trajectory of the Design Building from a traditionally-constructed steel frame building to a state-of-the-art building that emphasized the very latest in green building technology.”
Designed by Boston architecture firm Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the Design Building is the largest modern wood building in the northeastern United States, and one of the first institutional buildings in the region to employ an engineered timber structure, according to the statement. At 87,000 square feet, the facility is said to be the most advanced cross-laminated timber building in the country.
“John Olver has always been a relentless advocate for causes he believes in, especially preserving the environment, supporting public higher education and promoting the power of science and intellect to solve difficult problems,” said Rosenberg, who served as an aide to Olver before starting his own political career. “This building demonstrates all of those things.”
Olver retired from the U.S. House in 2013 with over 44 years of public service experience as a federal and state lawmaker. He joined the UMass chemistry faculty in 1962 and has remained a strong supporter of the campus since. He was made an honorary alumnus in 1981 and received an honorary doctorate in 2014, the UMass Amherst statement said.
“I am pleased that John Olver — my former colleague in Congress, a longtime member of the UMass community and a fierce advocate for the university in all spheres — is being recognized in a way that befits his passion for sustainable development,” Meehan said.
U.S. Rep. James McGovern also lauded the naming of the building for his former congressional colleague.
“John Olver’s legacy as a powerful champion for western Massachusetts is undisputed,” he said. “This is a fitting tribute to his incredible work to protect our environment and support the sciences.”
“I am proud to have had the privilege to serve alongside John in Congress and I am thrilled to see this new building honor all that he has done for our communities.”