Alfond Coastal Research Center featured on ArchDaily
The Bill ’67 and Peter ’71 Alfond Coastal Research Center at Governor’s Academy, has been featured on ArchDaily.
The Governor’s Academy is the oldest boarding school in New England. Its location—tucked between the Parker River and the Great Marsh—informs its future. The Coastal Research Center deepens a commitment to experiential learning and awareness, specifically in the marsh ecosystem by encouraging students to “get their hands dirty” with real-world data and projects. Designed in partnership with scientists from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, an aquatic laboratory fed by water drawn from the river and accommodations for a scientist-in residence will foster meaningful research that can help solve real-world problems. Access to the coastal marsh comes courtesy of an elevated, low-impact ramp, which builds connections between classrooms while creating a pathway towards the area’s vibrant ecological resources. Its gentle decline travels through the woods with the shore at its terminus, effectively transforming marsh and riverbanks into ADA-accessible and additional classrooms. The data and knowledge gathered in their study of water collected at the ramp’s end and returned to the lab, will form an education, and benefit local and national research alike. These journeys might also serve as moments of reflection, both on interior lives and relationships to the planet.