COA Davis Center for Human Ecology

Overlooking Frenchman Bay, this new two-story building is part of an ongoing multi-phased effort to re-imagine the north edge of the college's 38-acre academic campus. Interior spaces include art design studios, a double-height steel-framed teaching greenhouse, and laboratories for zoology, geology, chemistry, and botany. 

The L-shaped wood-framed structure was designed and constructed in accordance with stringent German Passive House energy efficiency standards. Many sustainable design features were incorporated into the design, including solar panels and exposed interior glulam beams. Narrow bay-facing windows insulate occupants against the frigid winters of coastal Maine. 

Project Highlights:

• The new facility has a site energy use intensity (EUI) of only 11, over 90% below the baseline national average. 
• The building utilized low-embodied carbon and locally sourced materials to significantly reduce its lifecycle carbon footprint.  
• The project architects were Susan T Rodriguez | Architecture • Design and OPAL Architecture 

Image credit: Jen Holt

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