New Engineering & Research Building

(Click to enlarge.)

MMA President Leonard Tyler unveiled preliminary plans for a state-of-the-art, environmentally-friendly classroom building to be named in honor of American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). ABS donated $2.5 million to MMA as part of Hands On: The Campaign for Maine Maritime Academy, an ambitious advancement plan to advance MMA’s mission. (Learn more).

While still in the preliminary planning stages, the ABS Center for Applied Engineering and Research is slated to occupy a central location on campus and is envisioned to serve as an educational hub to student residences, student dining and social facilities, and other classroom and athletic spaces.

The proposed facility will embrace a whole-building approach to green technology and will serve as a model of energy efficiency with a focus on alternative energy sources. Accordingly, the building's energy sources will be visible and will be used as experiential teaching tools.

The facility will incorporate a renewable and alternative energy laboratory and include a co-generation plant.

An artist's rendition revealed modern architectural styling and a dramatic staging of the building into the college's hillside typography. The new building will feature high tech classrooms, laboratories, simulators, and faculty offices all in a centralized location. Pending necessary permitting and approvals, groundbreaking is planned for 2010 with a completion date of summer 2011.

According to Tyler, the ABS Center for Applied Engineering and Research will be a key component of the college's engineering programs, historically the most popular area of study at the college. It will also provide a center for research activities currently underway at MMA, including applied research on marine thermoelectrics, engine heat recovery, engine emissions, and propulsion efficiency. It will also support research efforts focusing on renewable energy in the areas of tidal and offshore wind power.

ABS, a leading international classification society, is devoted to promoting the security of life, property, and the marine environment through the development and verification of standards for the design, construction, and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities. "ABS wants to be a catalyst for helping to make American maritime colleges and universities the best in the world. It is our sincere hope that this commitment is the start of what will continue for generations to come here on the Maine Maritime Academy campus and beyond," said Somerville. The ABS donation is the first of several the class society will be making over the next year to fund infrastructure on the campuses of major U.S. based maritime institutions.