Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Science, Technology, and Engineering Academic Building

Buzzards Bay, MA

Size
36,000 gsf new
6,200 gsf renovation

Services
Programming
Lab Planning
Architecture
Construction Administration

Certifications
Targeting LEED Gold

The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) engaged Ellenzweig to provide programming, lab planning, design, and construction administration services for a state-of-the-art, fully electrified science, technology, and engineering laboratory for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA).

The new facility will feature flexible teaching labs catering to diverse science and engineering disciplines including General and Organic Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Strength of Materials, and Operational Controls. Dedicated support spaces, including prep areas and a maker space, enhance hands-on learning and collaboration, while faculty offices and student gathering spaces promote community engagement.

Located between the Cape Cod Canal and Buttermilk Bay, the new building incorporates robust climate resiliency measures to mitigate projected sea level rise and 100-year storm surges. Strategically positioned in a less flood-prone area of the campus, its first floor will be elevated by five feet, and its windows are designed to withstand winds up to 129 mph.

The New Science, Technology and Engineering Building is designed to be an exemplar of sustainable design, and, as the first net-zero energy ready structure on campus, it represents a significant commitment to the Commonwealth’s carbon reduction goals.

Its advanced sustainability features include a geothermal water source heat pump integrated into the campus energy loop, heat and energy recovery systems, filtering fume hoods, a high performance building envelope, solar shading and triple-glazed windows within a 26% window-to-wall ratio. As a result, the building’s pEUI of 52 kBTU/sf/yr is 79% lower than the national average for similar lab facilities. Additionally, strategies to reduce embodied carbon are employed using low carbon concrete and interior finishes. This project is on track for LEED Gold certification.

The project also includes significant renovations in Harrington Hall, the first since the building was completed in 1981. The existing Chemistry labs on the third floor are being transformed into a Dynamic Positioning/Dangerous Liquid Cargo Simulation Lab and a Marine Transportation Capstone seminar space.