Press Releases

April 10, 2001 Master plan being developed for Maine State Cultural Building Harriman Associates and Orcutt Associates are developing a master plan and concept design that will meet space needs at the Maine State Cultural Building for the next 20 to 25 years. The building, located in Augusta, houses the Maine State Museum, the Maine State Archives and the Maine State Library. The two firms expect the first phase of the project — the needs assessment — to be completed this spring. The concept design will follow in early summer, and a master plan showing expansion and improvements to the building is set for completion by the end of June. "The assessment will reveal how well the existing facility meets current and projected needs and forms the basis for the concept design," explained Gregory D. Ninow, Harriman Associates' director of design, who is leading the project with John R. Orcutt, principal of Orcutt Associates. Harriman Associates is a full-service architecture and engineering firm headquartered in Auburn. Orcutt Associates is a planning and design firm in Yarmouth. Architects from both our firms are interviewing staff at the museum, the archives and the library to gather information. "Our mechanical, electrical, civil and structural engineers are evaluating the building, and Orcutt Associates' landscape architects are doing the site analysis," Ninow said. "We learn as much as we can about the facility — the specific tasks that staff members perform, who interacts with whom, what public venues are needed — all the details of every-day operation. We find out how much space is needed for various functions now and how those needs will change in the future," Ninow added. "The building itself and the site are analyzed to determine their suitability for possible renovation or expansion," he added. A concept design will then be developed that is based on the architectural and engineering information and analysis. The design and an estimated budget will be presented to the legislature after approval by officials of the museum, archives and library. Harriman Associates is a full-service architecture and engineering firm headquartered in Auburn, Maine. Founded in 1870, it is the sixth-oldest design firm in the country, providing services on educational, governmental, health care, commercial and industrial projects for local, regional and national clients. Orcutt Associates (www.orcutt.com) is a planning and design firm, located in the historic Sparhawk Mill in Yarmouth, Maine, providing high-quality architectural, site design, planning and interior design services to a range of clients throughout the country. The firm specializes in providing services to institutional, municipal and commercial clients. back to list