Bigelow Centre for Blue Biotechnology, United States of America

The Bigelow Centre for Blue Biotechnology, (BCBB) is a new research centre being built in East Boothbay, Maine, US. It will conduct frontline research on applying the ocean's microbial ecosystems to biopharmaceuticals. The $10m centre broke ground in September 2010 and is slated for completion in November 2011.

BCBB forms phase one of the 64-acre Ocean Research and Education Campus being built by Bigelow Laboratory. It will span an area of 24,740ft².

Bigelow Laboratory's Ocean Science and Education Campus project phases

Bigelow Laboratory's Ocean Science and Education Campus will be developed in three phases, the first phase being the BCBB facility.

The campus will also house the Center for Ocean Biogeochemistry and Climate Change, and the Center for Ocean Health.

These two facilities will be developed in phases two and three and are expected to be opened by May 2012.

A fourth science wing and administration building are being planned but are yet to be scheduled.

Bigelow Laboratory owns 64 acres in East Boothbay. The campus will be developed on 14 acres while the remaining property will be used as wildlife habitat, wetlands, and open space. The three facilities will occupy a total space of 70,000ft².

The $31m campus will provide 200 jobs during construction and employ 100 full-time staff at full capacity. Bigelow's current leased facilities at the Department of Marine Resources will all be shifted to the new campus.

BCBB facility details and features

The BCBB provides frontline research facilities for companies in the pharmaceutical, aquaculture, environmental impact assessment, analytical instrument and biofuels industries.

The Lincoln County Economic Development Office projects BCBB will attract $34m new money to the state of Maine and help companies in acquiring new patents, intellectual property licensing and product development, in five years.

The three-storey facility will house the world's first microbial single cell genomics facility, an advanced flow cytometry laboratory and a bioreactor facility.

The Provasoli-Guillard National Center for the Culture of Marine Phytoplankton (CCMP), which will be a part of the facility, is claimed to be the largest such collection centre in the world.

In addition, there will be 12 private offices, a café a conference space and a molecular biology laboratory with shared facilities for imaging and sterilisation. There will also be space to accommodate two mobile laboratory units.

Sustainability of the new Bigelow Centre project

The facility has been designed to receive LEED certification at the gold level. The buildings are designed to use maximum daylight and absorb heat. The exterior cladding of the façade will be zinc and wood.

Interior and exterior building materials will be selected based on their low carbon footprint and high recycle content. Low water flow fixtures will be installed to conserve water.

The natural landscape design will eliminate any irrigation requirement. High performance window, roof and wall systems will be installed to improve energy performance. The construction material will be recycled to minimise waste.

Financing the important development

The facility is being financed through funds received from the Maine Technology Asset Fund (MTAF) and contributions from private sources. A $4.45m finance facility was granted by the MTAF in 2009. It represents the largest single grant from the state's $50m research and development bond.

The property at East Boothbay was acquired in 2005 through a $1.46m loan facility granted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An additional $2m was obtained through private sources to finalise the property deal and commence planning of the new campus.

Contracts awarded to companies

The centre has been designed by Perkins+Will in collaboration with WBRC Architects and Engineers.

The contract for site planning was awarded to Terrence J. DeWan and Associates.

Consigli was contracted for construction management services. Fore Solutions was the LEED consultant for the project.

Knickerbocker Group was contracted as the civil engineer for the project.

The company has provided the entire site engineering and environmental permitting services.