Northeastern's Portland Campus
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Project Information
Location
1 Beanpot Circle, Portland, ME
Project Manager
Alex Shepherd
Michael Cochrane
Marc Yokel
Ryan Stokes
Sam Reiche
Total Square Feet per Project
LRC Building – 245,000
Bean Building – 58,000
Parking Garage – 225,000
Architect
CambridgeSeven Associates
Bruner Cott
Contractor
Turner
Consigli
Key Construction Projects
Learning, Research, and Collaboration “LRC” Building
Incubator & Accelerator “Bean” Building
The Parking Structure
Community Benefits
Connecting Paths & Trails
The Portland campus waterfront will be open to the public with sidewalks and bike lanes to provide a direct connection to the Back Cove, Eastern Promenade, and mid-town trails.
Accessible Open Space &
Waterfront Access
The Portland campus will transform an industrial site into an ecologically diverse, urban waterfront setting offering three acres of public open space consisting of waterfront, salt meadow, and lawn.
Innovation Space
The Portland campus is mindfully designed to create breakthrough moments and transform inspiration. This includes repurposing the existing bean manufacturing building into a start-up incubator space, to continue the legacy of innovation.
Education Opportunities
The Portland campus offers graduate students and partners experiential learning opportunities in high-tech fields. Introducing new, high-growth career pathways can introduce economic prosperity and improved quality of life.
Job Creation
The Portland campus will house innovation and learning programs designed to stimulate economic activity in Portland and across Maine.
Spur Economic Activity
The Portland campus will bring new business to area restaurants, bars, retail shops, and services. The campus will integrate as a vital and accessible extension of the East Deering neighborhood.
Sustainability
In accordance with the City of Portland’s environmental stewardship plan, One Climate Future, a Sustainability and Resilience Charter is in the works, setting ambitious goals for the campus. State-of-the-art features, systems and techniques will minimize energy consumption campus-wide.
Storm and Flood Protection
Workforce Development
Tradespeople and others can participate in the Portland campus Construction Lab to learn about techniques, management, and trade work on this project. Job fairs will maximize local workforce participation and ongoing training and apprentice programs will be offered.
Sustainability behind the Portland campus
The Portland campus will foster a new high-tech economy that will offer unprecedented opportunities for all Mainers, in ways that honor and enrich Maine’s lifestyle and culture.
Northeastern’s Portland campus will be a paradigm for 21st-century education with urban, sustainable, and resilient design. Near and long-term planning supports a vibrant campus environment with views and connections to the waterfront, a variety of public spaces, and site access through bike paths, walkways, and the public pier. Creation of a new campus provides the opportunity to establish a people-oriented space right from the start.
Key principles of the design approach include:
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Optimized site potential for both campus needs and community benefits
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Holistically built environment integrally connected to the waterfront, Portland and beyond
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High performance design as a foundation for resilience
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Gathering spaces that nurture social interaction and community connection
The Portland campus will be developed in phases with the first phase targeted to include learning, research and collaboration spaces, lab and office space for collaborating partners, an entrepreneurial incubator, faculty and student housing, and a small campus hotel. Additional collaboration, commercial and retail spaces will be added as this multi-purpose development becomes fully realized.
One of the first changes visible to the public will be waterfront restoration, three acres of permanent open space and new connections to the Back Cove, Eastern Promenade and mid-town trails. Vehicles will be limited to portions of the perimeter of the Portland campus in preference for open space with walking paths to preserve the restored beauty of the site. The pedestrian-friendly landscape will prioritize people over cars.
FAQ
How will you manage traffic impacts?
Can the site accommodate the many uses associated with the Portland campus?
Success of the Portland campus is dependent on concentrating related facilities on the campus, to facilitate interaction and maximize connections among learners, scientists, researchers, faculty, entrepreneurs, lecturers and visitors. Higher buildings than what currently exists on site will maximize open space to take full advantage of this waterfront site, which all can enjoy.
How will you create a sustainable and resilient campus?
Impervious surfaces covered approximately 75% of the B&M site, including roofs, parking areas and loading dock space. The Pavement extended right to the shoreline embankment. The new Portland Campus will raise site grades, maximize open space, install green roofs, incorporate passive and active energy conservation measures and use sustainable building materials to the extent possible. A Sustainability and Resilience Charter consistent with Portland and South Portland’s One Climate Future is part of the site plan application.
What is the status of City of Portland approvals for the Portland campus?
Following a very thorough, nine-month review process by the City staff and Planning Board, the Institutional Development Plan (IDP) – the long-term vision for the site – was approved by the Planning Board and the zone change was endorsed and sent to the City Council for approval. The City Council unanimously approved the zone change in February 2023. Development of the Portland campus is expected to proceed in phases over a period of approximately 20 years. A site plan application for the first phase was approved by the Planning Board in June 2024 following numerous workshops and public forums.