Joyce Cummings Center - Office of Sustainability

Opened in fall 2021, the Joyce Cummings Center is an ultra-efficient seven story building on the Tufts Medford/Somerville campus. Ruth Bennett, director of strategic capital programs at Tufts and project manager for Cummings Center, and the project team designed this building with a low energy-use intensity target and incorporated a number of sustainability features with the goal of reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Joyce Cummings Center utilizes:

(Alonso Nichols/Tufts University)

2 heat recovery wheels
a heat recovery chiller
a rooftop solar array
triple glazing on windows for temperature control
ample natural light and efficient lighting
high-performance insulation
occupancy sensors
a plaza that incorporates drought-resistant plants

The most efficient building on the Medford/Somerville campus as of 2021, the Joyce Cummings Center is a giant step towards reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.