The site for the new facility is on a hillside oak grove at the center of the campus, at the edge of a wetland. Instead of aligning the building with the existing road grid, the design team worked with the constraints of slope and wetland to make the most appropriate fit for the building onto the existing site. The building is set back from the road to allow the existing oak grove to be retained, and is oriented to take advantage of the best solar orientation as well as to minimize earthwork.
The building employs a simple shed roof that allows for a floor-to-ceiling glass wall on the south facing faade, creating a voluminous main entrance and "inspiration space" with plenty of year-round daylight. A smaller roof slopes in the opposite direction from the main roof on the north faade, hovering over an enclosed entryway of floor-to-ceiling glass, accessed by a path that meanders through the oak grove.
The program for the building includes an open-air team workspace, private work rooms for developing presentations, a conference room for confidential meetings between entrepreneurs and potential investors, a seminar room, offices for faculty advisors, and an inspiration space for chance encounters. The architect maximized the flexibility of these interior spaces by placing program elements on a uniform grid, and by employing the use of large, glass garage doors to allow the seminar room and conference space to be combined with the inspiration space for large gatherings. The open grid also allows for ease of future expansion.
One of the University's goals is to obtain LEED certification for the building. Oak Point is maximizing the use of sustainable materials, building systems and construction practices in order to realize this goal.
Orono, Maine
5,000 sf
