Press Releases

April 22, 2003 Landmark building for Saint Joseph's College under construction A four-story academic building at Saint Joseph's College in Standish, Maine (www.sjcme.edu) is now under construction and will help Maine's only private Catholic college meet growing enrollment. Designed by Harriman Associates in Auburn and Portland, Maine, and Orcutt Associates in Yarmouth, Maine, it is the first new academic building on campus in 47 years and will be completed in time for fall 2004 classes. It will be the landmark building for the college, which currently has about 1,000 students. "It will be the first building seen when entering the campus," said Gregory D. Ninow, Harriman Associates' director of design. "That made it important for the design to reflect not only the stature and prominence of the building but also of the college as well." The 50,000-sq.-ft. building will be located at the highest point on campus, atop a hill overlooking popular Sebago Lake. A brick facade with copper cladding on the upper story will give the building a traditional, "collegiate" appearance that fits the context of the campus. Traditional design Patterned brick around the windows adds interest to the design, as do small sloped, accent roofs of copper. The new front entrance will create an elegant ambiance, with a double symmetrical row of trees leading through the front lawn to the building. A small pond with a fountain will be nearby. The campus side of the building will serve as the anchor of a quad, facing the dorms, dining facilities, and classrooms where students spend their days. Walks will lead to other buildings in a starburst pattern. Seat walls and walks will offer opportunities for socializing and enhance the sense of community. The building will have 32 classrooms, some of them accommodating seminars. There will also be 50 faculty offices, as well as computer labs and a 150-seat auditorium. Large windows will bring lots of natural light into the building and offer views of the outdoors. Harriman Associates provides architecture and engineering design services for education, government, commercial, and health care clients throughout New England from offices in Auburn and Portland, Maine.The sixth-oldest design firm in the country, Harriman Associates was founded in 1870. Designs for education clients form a major part of the firm's work. Projects currently being designed include a new high school in Exeter, New Hampshire; an expansion and renovations at Scarborough High School; a new elementary school in Kennebunk; and expansion of the John Mitchell Center at the University of Southern Maine. Orcutt Associates is a planning and design firm located in the historic Sparhawk Mill in Yarmouth, Maine. It provides architecture, site design and planning, and interior design services to a wide range of institutional, municipal and commercial clients. Pizzagalli Construction Company, South Portland, Maine, is the construction manager for the project. back to list Copyright Harriman Associates All rights reserved