OPAL's superinsulated mass-timber Smith Center opens in Maine
The Smith Center for Education and Research, referred to as Grange Life, has been successfully completed by OPAL at the Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment, a 500-acre site in Freeport, Maine. This 8,800-square-foot building, constructed from mass timber, draws inspiration from local barns and is designed to offset its embodied carbon throughout its lifespan. It boasts a superinsulated wooden structure, triple-glazed curtain walls, and a 44 kW solar array, resulting in over 60% energy savings compared to similar buildings. The center, featuring white clapboard and unfinished cedar cladding, includes two gabled classroom areas, a spacious meeting room with fir glulam beams, a commercial kitchen, and birch plywood casework. The design team comprised Timothy Lock, Gabe Tomasulo, Dan Rodefeld, and Molly Quesada, while Zachau Construction handled the construction, with structural engineering provided by Thornton Tomasetti.
Key facts
- OPAL designed the Smith Center for Education and Research in Freeport, Maine.
- The building is 8,800 square feet on the 500-acre Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment.
- It is made of mass timber and modeled after local barns.
- The superinsulated all-wood assembly reduces energy use and sequesters carbon.
- Triple-glazed curtain walls gain more energy from the sun than they lose.
- The building uses over 60% less energy than comparable buildings.
- A 44 kW solar array is mounted on the south-facing roofs.
- The design team included Timothy Lock, Gabe Tomasulo, Dan Rodefeld, and Molly Quesada.
Entities
Artists
- Timothy Lock
- Gabe Tomasulo
- Dan Rodefeld
- Molly Quesada
- Trent Bell
Institutions
- OPAL
- Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment
- Zachau Construction
- Thornton Tomasetti
- Taitem
- Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture
- Dezeen
Locations
- Freeport
- Maine
- United States
- Belfast
Sources
- Dezeen —