The Roux Institute at Northeastern University Breaks Ground

Northeastern University has broken ground on a permanent campus in Portland, Maine, that will house its Roux Institute and Alfond Center. The waterfront development will transform the former B&M Baked Beans industrial site into a state-of-the-art, multi-building complex that will serve as a hub for research and education in artificial intelligence (AI), computer and data sciences, life sciences and other high-tech fields. We are providing structural design, sustainability and resilience services to CambridgeSeven for phase one of the project, which consists of the six-story, 245,000-square-foot Roux Institute academic building and a 610-car parking garage.

Inspired in part by Maine’s historic Bailey Island Bridge, the Roux Institute's unique design features a curved and cantilevered structure, inclined facades, a sloped roof and terraces, all supported by two major concrete cores and exposed V columns. Among the building materials being used are glass, granite, brick, copper and wood, including a mass timber west wing, to reflect the site’s industrial heritage. The campus will be 30% more energy-efficient than required by Portland’s energy code, with sustainable features like geothermal heating and cooling systems and low-carbon materials. Our climate risk assessment addressed threats such as flooding, seismic activity, high winds and extreme weather. The result is an all-electric campus designed to maintain operational functionality through the 2100s. Expected to be completed in late 2027, the campus will restore the shoreline and provide public access to the waterfront through bike and pedestrian trails.