Buzzards Bay, MA – As the only school in the Commonwealth that offers programs in maritime studies, Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) has a unique mission: to educate its students to serve the maritime industry as licensed officers or to work in the fields of transportation and engineering.
Perry Dean Rogers Partners | Architects was commissioned to program, evaluate, and design for the re-use or replacement of the existing library. The central question that the Academy sought to answer was: “What should a contemporary library be for a unique institution like MMA?”
The goals of the project were:
· To enhance learning and research
· To celebrate MMA’s connection to the sea
· To be a teaching tool for, and model of, sustainable practice
Within the framework of site and budgetary constraints, Perry Dean Rogers facilitated a collaborative planning process.
That process delivered a streamlined program which relies heavily on shared spaces and multi-functionality. An example is the mechanical room that is a necessity but is not typically a useful program to the building occupants. In this case the decision was made to enlarge the mechanical room and utilize it as a laboratory space for the Facilities Management Program.
The building organization divides the plan along the east-west axis, creating two double-height floors (the ‘upper deck’ and ‘lower deck’) facing south and a stack of four floors on the north side. The south side and principal elevation affords extensive views of the campus and the Cape Cod Canal beyond. On the lower deck is an open plan Learning Commons with a wide variety of flexible furniture types to foster a range of collaborative and social learning.
On the upper deck is the Academic Resource Center that focuses heavily on tutoring and student services. Piercing these two double height spaces, a bamboo-clad cylinder houses a Full Mission Ship’s Bridge Simulator and technology-rich Smart Classroom which are essential MMA’s curriculum. On the north side of the building, the Academy’s museum, archives, model ship collection, traditional library collections and library offices are stacked in a single height configuration to maximize efficiency and capitalize on the fantastic views of Buttermilk Bay.
To celebrate MMA’s long and storied bond with the ocean, the building’s main staircase is wrapped around a ‘light core’ which serves to illuminate the stair and provide a beacon to those approaching the campus from the main entrance drive. Laminated translucent panels encapsulate a 50’x16’ graphic that combines a Mercator projection with the complete text of Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning novel, “In the Heart of the Sea.”
Due to significant site constraints, a substantial effort was put into analysis and investigation of siting options. The campus is in a high-velocity flood zone, abuts extensive wetlands, and has very little remaining buildable space. In addition to these factors, the building massing was further influenced by a demanding sustainable design agenda which included a geothermal system and an existing 660 kilowatt wind turbine. In order to mitigate the effects the building would have on the wind turbine, systematic analysis accompanied various massing and roof configurations in order to determine the option with the least impact on the wind turbine. For one wind direction, turbine production was actually increased by 9.1%..
In addition to creating a new plaza connecting the nearby dining and residence halls to form the school’s first articulated quadrangle, the building is sited to maximize benefits from solar orientation and daylight harvesting. Horizontal louvers and an expansive roof overhang are utilized to control heat gain and a roof-mounted photovoltaic system generates 25% of the building electrical need. A closed-loop geothermal system of 48 wells meets 100% of the heating and cooling loads, with radiant floor heating and active chilled beams providing an efficient delivery system. Finally, an aggressive water efficiency and stormwater management strategy drove thoughtful landscape design that filters 13,000sf of roof water back to the ground and out of the storm sewer system. The project is targeting LEED Platinum certification.
Perry Dean Rogers Partners | Architects was commissioned to program, evaluate, and design for the re-use or replacement of the existing library. The central question that the Academy sought to answer was: “What should a contemporary library be for a unique institution like MMA?”
The goals of the project were:
· To enhance learning and research
· To celebrate MMA’s connection to the sea
· To be a teaching tool for, and model of, sustainable practice
Within the framework of site and budgetary constraints, Perry Dean Rogers facilitated a collaborative planning process.
That process delivered a streamlined program which relies heavily on shared spaces and multi-functionality. An example is the mechanical room that is a necessity but is not typically a useful program to the building occupants. In this case the decision was made to enlarge the mechanical room and utilize it as a laboratory space for the Facilities Management Program.
The building organization divides the plan along the east-west axis, creating two double-height floors (the ‘upper deck’ and ‘lower deck’) facing south and a stack of four floors on the north side. The south side and principal elevation affords extensive views of the campus and the Cape Cod Canal beyond. On the lower deck is an open plan Learning Commons with a wide variety of flexible furniture types to foster a range of collaborative and social learning.
On the upper deck is the Academic Resource Center that focuses heavily on tutoring and student services. Piercing these two double height spaces, a bamboo-clad cylinder houses a Full Mission Ship’s Bridge Simulator and technology-rich Smart Classroom which are essential MMA’s curriculum. On the north side of the building, the Academy’s museum, archives, model ship collection, traditional library collections and library offices are stacked in a single height configuration to maximize efficiency and capitalize on the fantastic views of Buttermilk Bay.
To celebrate MMA’s long and storied bond with the ocean, the building’s main staircase is wrapped around a ‘light core’ which serves to illuminate the stair and provide a beacon to those approaching the campus from the main entrance drive. Laminated translucent panels encapsulate a 50’x16’ graphic that combines a Mercator projection with the complete text of Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning novel, “In the Heart of the Sea.”
Due to significant site constraints, a substantial effort was put into analysis and investigation of siting options. The campus is in a high-velocity flood zone, abuts extensive wetlands, and has very little remaining buildable space. In addition to these factors, the building massing was further influenced by a demanding sustainable design agenda which included a geothermal system and an existing 660 kilowatt wind turbine. In order to mitigate the effects the building would have on the wind turbine, systematic analysis accompanied various massing and roof configurations in order to determine the option with the least impact on the wind turbine. For one wind direction, turbine production was actually increased by 9.1%..
In addition to creating a new plaza connecting the nearby dining and residence halls to form the school’s first articulated quadrangle, the building is sited to maximize benefits from solar orientation and daylight harvesting. Horizontal louvers and an expansive roof overhang are utilized to control heat gain and a roof-mounted photovoltaic system generates 25% of the building electrical need. A closed-loop geothermal system of 48 wells meets 100% of the heating and cooling loads, with radiant floor heating and active chilled beams providing an efficient delivery system. Finally, an aggressive water efficiency and stormwater management strategy drove thoughtful landscape design that filters 13,000sf of roof water back to the ground and out of the storm sewer system. The project is targeting LEED Platinum certification.