University of Southern Maine, McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success

The University of Southern Maine is committed to campus-wide environmental responsibility, having made a pledge to be carbon-neutral by the year 2040. The University and design team employed a holistic approach, focusing not only on environmental stewardship, but social and economic prosperity as well. Acting as good fiduciaries for both the land and students, Elkus Manfredi Architects and SMRT Architects & Engineers consistently chose the most economical materials and methods with the least ecological impact. Wood played a significant role in the original concept as a nod towards this state’s forestry business and burgeoning mass timber industry. This project is a prototype of sorts, a demonstration of what can be done with mass timber for future projects able to source from Maine forests.

The center was designed to be both sustainable and welcoming, with a civic scale that sought to signify the importance and prominence of the University of Southern Maine in the state. Diagonal cross-laminated timber (CLT) columns create a signature visual expression across the front façade, making a broad gesture roughly 30 feet tall, 20 feet deep, and 200 feet long. The portico is now a “front porch” on the campus, hosting events like graduations, concerts, and the like. The client and design team also decided to highlight mass timber as a viable construction technology in Maine, supporting the growing local mass timber industry. Wood was also an apt choice for the new “heart” of USM’s campus as an aesthetic representation of the rugged, outdoor character of the State.