Future maritime center of excellence to transform the seafront of the Coast Guard Academy

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The US Coast Guard Academy is located along the River Thames in New London, Connecticut. US COAST GUARD

NEW LONDON, Connecticut. A more than $ 23 million project is now underway at the US Coast Guard Academy that will transform the 90-year-old campus waterfront area, the academy’s public relations office said in a July 29 statement.

The future Maritime Center of Excellence (MCOE) will enhance the Academy’s waterfront facilities by offering interactive, high-tech classrooms for a variety of leadership training and development courses.

The 20,000-square-foot facility will be the Academy’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified facility and will highlight the unique waterfront leadership programs and nationwide prominent intercollegiate sailing program.

In a twist from the traditional inaugural ceremony, the leaders signed a ceremonial steel beam that will be used in the construction of the future center during a July 29 event to commemorate the start of the project.

The event was attended by Rear Admiral Bill Kelly, Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy, Retired Coast Guard Captain Andrea Marcille, President of the US Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association, and Retired Coast Guard Vice Admiral Manson Brown, President of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

The modern design of the MCOE includes ambitious sustainability design goals in line with coordinated climate resilience efforts throughout the service and one of the many lines of commitment that the Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies have undertaken to address the dangers posed by global climate change.

The construction points to the LEED Gold certification. LEED certification provides a series of assessment systems for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of modern buildings to achieve sustainability and resource efficiency goals.

This LEED-certified multi-purpose facility will serve as a meeting point for cadets and official candidates from across our great nation, Rear Admiral Kelly said. It will be a space where young women and men can come together to learn and grow and I am sure it will serve as a facility that will increase appreciation for water and all of its power and beauty and ultimately help us instill a sympathy for the sea and its traditions.

The interior spaces of the future center were designed with access to daylight and natural ventilation to minimize dependence on artificial lighting and air conditioning. Double-height spaces for ship maintenance, office space and an atrium will provide natural ventilation. Other sustainability goals include the exploration of geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels and rainwater harvesting. The exterior of the building will also feature durable and resilient materials that are easy to maintain.

With a curved vaulted roof, wooden bridges and a true north orientation, the building is designed to highlight the waterfront landscape. The new facility will also include interactive, high-tech classrooms such as the Science and Engineering Innovation Laboratory designed to encourage collaboration in the fields of digital processing, robotics, alternative fuels and emissions, and coastal and environmental resilience, among others. .

This represents a significant step forward as the Academy works to recapitalize the infrastructure of the 1930s and build modernized training and education venues to provide the knowledge, skills, experience and values ​​needed to develop the Guard’s future workforce. Coastal.

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