The Maritime Center of Excellence is a premier facility, embodying the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s heritage of seamanship development, while instilling “a liking for the sea and its lore” in the newest members of America’s oldest sea-going service. The project was conceived to meet a broad range of educational, recruitment, outreach, and waterfront operational needs, serving as the “maritime front door” for the Academy. The LEED Gold certified building includes high tech classrooms, event space, and a Marine Science and Engineering Innovation Lab and maker space.
The Center also supports the maintenance requirements for the fleet of vessels employed by the sailing and professional maritime studies programs, including a multipurpose boat bay capable of accommodating two Leadership 44 training sailboats, simultaneously, and a paint booth to facilitate grinding, sanding, and applying paints and coatings. The building design conveys the maritime heritage of the Academy, creating a new iconic element. Angled from the orthogonal geometry of the waterfront bulkhead, the roof form is oriented due north, harkening to navigation traditions using the North Star.
The roof is supported using curved timber beams. Like the structural ribs of a boat’s hull, each individual beam varies in length and curvature to make up the overall frame. Maritime imagery informed every part of the project, from the big design moves to the smallest details. Examples include teak flooring with a compass design inlay, a keel beam at the top of the ceiling, a a chandelier made to emulate a lighthouse Fresnel lens, and a palette of soft blues for the interior finishes. Just as one would find on a boat, spaces are designed to be flexible and to accommodate multiple functions. The upper deck provides sweeping views of the Thames River.
Windows into both the boat maintenance shop and the Science and Engineering Innovation Lab allow visitors to see these activities in real time. The Center uses 51% less energy than a regional median building. Compared to a code-compliant building, the Center emits 32% less greenhouse gases and uses 42% less water. Operable windows provide fresh air, allowing the interior to be naturally daylit and passively ventilated even without power. All regularly occupied spaces are daylit and have unrivaled views of the waterfront and campus.
The HVAC system provides 30% more fresh air than code minimums. Timber arches support the project’s iconic roof, reducing the project’s embodied carbon by 23.5 MT CO2e. The structure and enclosure were designed to resist hurricanes and flooding. The ground floor anticipates potential flooding by locating equipment above the base flood elevation, or on casters to be relocated. Interior finishes are flood resistant.
The site was required to be paved to support winter boat storage, parking, and equipment. Small planters were incorporated into the design, using native landscape species to support habitat and pollinators. The project creates an architecture that is sustainable, functional, iconic, and a reflection of this unique setting, resulting in a one-of-a-kind piece of architecture that expresses all that is excellent and unique of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
Category:ArchitectureYear:2024Location: New London, Connecticut, USAArchitects:SmithGroupClient:U.S. Coast Guard Academy (CGA)Photographers:Prakash Patel