Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, which opened a 60,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art science and education campus on the East Boothbay waterfront last month, has achieved confirmation of LEED Platinum status.

The campus consists of three interconnected science and education buildings, along with a shorefront facility and dock. These three buildings or wings respectively are: the Walter and Helen Norton Center for Blue Biotechnology; the Center for Ocean Biogeochemistry and Climate Change; and The Center for Ocean Health. This marks the first time that all of Bigelow’s science operations have been housed within a single building complex. The $31.8 million Phase 1 campus project was made possible by a combination of State and Federal grants, private financing, and private donations.

The campus is the first scientific research laboratory to achieve LEED Platinum status in Maine, and one of only seven in the New England area. Only three other businesses in Maine – Hannaford Augusta, TD Bank Call Center, and the Bosarge Family Education Center at Coastal Botanical Gardens – have achieved LEED Platinum certification.

A key feature of the campus is the building’s unique daylighting design. The solar orientation of the three research wings, combined with open courtyards between each wing, helps to maximize natural light in the building creating a comfortable and energy efficient work environment.  

Elements such as window shading, daylight responsive lighting controls and dimmable ballasts lowered the power requirements for lighting and allowed nearly all interior spaces to take full advantage of natural light and wonderful views of Bigelow’s coastal campus.

Year round energy recovery and other high-efficiency equipment provide an outstanding 54 percent energy cost savings over a conventional design. High-pressure, low-flow water fixtures achieve a 45 percent reduction in water use, while 66 photovoltaic panels, installed on the roof of the building, provide 19.21 kW of CO2-free energy.

The campus and Phase 1 building design were achieved through a collaborative design effort between the Bigelow Laboratory leadership and an integrated design and construction team that included: WBRC Architects/Engineers of Bangor and Portland, and Sarasota, Fla.; Perkins+Will, Design Architects of Boston, Mass.; Terrence J. DeWan & Associates, Landscape Architects and Planners of Yarmouth; Thornton Tomasetti (formerly Fore Solutions), sustainability and LEED consultant for the project, of Portland; and Consigli Construction Co., Inc., of Portland.