Innovation Hall is the former Maine Army National Guard (MEARNG) Armory on Stevens Avenue, at the edge of the University of New England’s Portland campus. The 66,000 square foot brick masonry structure underwent a major restoration and reconstruction. The interior of the building was completely gutted in order to fit the program, which houses an expansion of UNE’s Medical Simulation Center.
The first floor houses five medical simulation pods with cutting edge technology. These are used to train doctors, nurses, dentists and other medical professionals. The building includes three large classroom spaces: two for 75 students and one for 150 students. These are set up for flexible/collaborative teaching and have technology for 21st century learning. There is a 6,000 sf function room. The building also has a “pre-function” room that houses small group learning spaces that foster chance encounters, student collaboration as well as provide private meeting and learning spaces. The second floor houses UNE’s Online Worldwide Learning (OWL) offices, which develop UNE’s online course offerings.
The exterior masonry was restored, and new windows and a new roof were installed. The exterior building envelope was insulated with spray foam. The building was also connected to UNE’s central steam plant as part of the project. All new mechanical and electrical services were added. Construction was coordinated to allow the MEARNG to continue running military operations throughout the duration of the project.