Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Quissett Campus Master Plan, Biogeochemistry Research Building, and Marine Research Building

Woods Hole, Massachusetts

Size
165 acres (Master Plan); 33,500 sf (Biogeochemistry Research Building); 30,000 sf (Marine Research Building)

Role
Ellenzweig
Master planning
Programming
Lab planning
Architecture
Construction administration

Stimson Studio
Landscape Architecture

Awards
R&D Magazine, Lab of the Year High Honors

AIA New England Merit Award for Design Excellence

Boston Society of Architects (BSA)/SCUP Award for Design Excellence, Higher Education Facilities

BSA Award for Design Excellence

Ellenzweig’s collaboration with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) began with the development of the Quissett Campus Master Plan and continued with the implementation of that plan, which included two new research buildings, renovations to existing lab facilities, and renovation and expansion of the Central Energy Plant.

The comprehensive master plan for the 165-acre Quissett Campus, completed in association with Stephen Stimson Associates landscape architects, transformed the Campus from a fragmented collection of roadways and parking lots into a coherent, pedestrian-centered campus and set forth the Institution’s mission to strengthen the interdisciplinary nature of its research efforts.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Quissett Campus Master Plan, Site plan courtesy of Stimson Studio

Ellenzweig provided detailed programming for the new research facilities as part of the campus master plan, and went on to design and administer the construction of the two buildings: the Watson Biogeochemistry Building and the Marine Research Building, which included the renovation and expansion of the Central Energy Plant.

Both buildings provide a variety of interdisciplinary research laboratories, support space, conference facilities, offices, and collaboration spaces. The exteriors are clad in white-cedar siding, curtainwall with sunshades, and zinc cladding at the penthouse. The white-cedar siding, which is used extensively on Cape Cod, weathers to a soft gray, matching adjacent buildings on campus.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biogeochemistry Research Building

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biogeochemistry Research Building

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biogeochemistry Research Building

The Watson Biogeochemistry Building provides flexible research space for the Departments of Biology and Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry. The building is organized into three principal areas: a rectangular block providing flexible space for labs and lab support functions, an office component shaped into a gentle curve on the principal entry side, and a slightly separate two-story volume housing a conference room and lounge. The continuous lab zone provides an efficient service distribution system, permits flexibility in ongoing lab re-allocations, and allows researchers from different disciplines to work in close proximity. The lab support zone, adjacent to the lab areas, provides easy access to support functions such as autoclaves, microscopy rooms, and cold rooms.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Research Building

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Research Building

The Marine Research Building includes both general and specialized biology research and development space related to marine activities, including flexible wet labs, a necropsy/scanning facility, clean room and mass spectrometer labs, underwater instrument development and fabrication, marine acoustics research, and a marine research archive.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Research Building

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Research Building

The design of both research buildings was guided by a variety of green building principles, including preservation of open space, use of heat recovery, use of both wet and dry scrubbers for exhaust systems, sunshades for solar control, and use of renewable resources.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Central Energy Plant

Adjacent to the Marine Research Building, Ellenzweig provided design and construction administration for complete renovation and expansion of the Central Energy Plant, including boilers and new chilled water pumps, an addition for new chillers and electrical switchgear, and an exterior equipment yard for new cooling towers and emergency generators.

The purpose of the building was to physically relocate research teams in chemistry, geology, and microbiology to a common area in an effort to promote interdisciplinary science in biogeochemistry- the science of how biology, geology, and chemistry all interact to shape ecosystems. The Watson laboratory was beautifully designed to promote this goal. The public spaces are beautiful and inviting, and most of my discussions with colleagues have in fact taken place in the hallways, and many of these have led to new ideas and new projects. The building has become an incubator of new initiatives in biogeochemistry. Aesthetics and function have come together in Watson in a very productive way, and have created something new on our campus.

– Daniel J. Repeta, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution