US studio Susan T Rodriguez Architecture & Design has incorporated local materials and energy-saving features into a Maine building that is meant to be "a new benchmark for academic buildings in northern climates".
Located in the town of Bar Harbor, the Davis Center for Human Ecology is located on the main, 38-acre (15-hectare) campus of the College of the Atlantic (COA).
Susan T Rodriguez Architecture & Design designed the building in Maine
Founded in 1969, COA is a small private college dedicated to exploring the relationships between humans and their environments.
The centre is the first purpose-built, academic facility to be constructed on campus since the college was established.
The centre is positioned to block harsh ocean winds The building's design ? by New York's Susan T Rodriguez Architecture & Design ? was informed by COA's focus on interdisciplinary and hands-on learning, alongside its commitment to environmental stewardship.
"In every aspect of its design, the building responds to COA's ambitious goals for sustainability, from macro issues of siting, massing and systems' design to micro issues of material selection and detailing," the architectural studio said.
A prism was chosen for the architecture
"The design is a prism for amplifying the relationships between humans and their built, social and natural environments," the studio added.
Situated on a promontory overlooking Frenchman Bay, the centre is positioned to ...