Northeastern University’s Portland Campus
Home to the Roux Institute, Alfond Center
Project Overview
- New construction to support education and research and development in digital engineering, artificial intelligence, machine learning and more
- Integration of wet and dry laboratory spaces with the capability for each to be converted to the other with no more than a week’s work
- Implementation of significant sustainable building methods to support high-efficiency building operations
To promote experiential education, stimulate Maine’s economy and enrich the local community, Northeastern University is building a waterfront campus as the new home for its Roux Institute. The Alfond Center on the campus will serve the Institute’s functional goals while promoting its values as a global leader of experiential learning and collaborative research and development.
The Alfond Center will house educational and research spaces for in-person, virtual and hybrid collaboration. Wet and dry laboratories will each be convertible to the other to support research and development in digital engineering, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, computational biology and genomics life sciences. A maker space will allow students, faculty, alumni and partners to develop and test product and service ideas. Additional areas include gathering spaces, office spaces, food service and outdoor amenities.
Reflecting Northeastern and the Roux Institute’s green standards, the all-electric building will feature sustainable elements including a partially mass timber superstructure and geothermal wells that will provide the majority of the building’s heating and cooling. A custom, unitized curtainwall façade is being prefabricated for the maximized efficiency of on-site labor.
