The Quissett Campus is approximately 100 acres of glacial moraine with varied topography and mixed oak woodland.  The sloping site affords expansive southerly views across Vineyard Sound.  

The Comprehensive Plan included siting four proposed laboratories, an auditorium and a marine mammal research facility. The existing parking and roadways were redesigned to create a central core and pedestrian oriented campus. The interior is characterized by a distinct network of paths, terraces and gathering areas amidst native meadow restoration and an innovative stormwater system with bioswales and wetlands. Parking, hiking trails, play courts and ballfields are carefully sited amongst native pine groves and oak woodland at the edge of the campus.  

The placement of program elements established a relationship between buildings and users within the campus while minimizing disturbance to the site’s sensitive coastal ecology and maximizing open space. Overall, the campus remains the heart of the Oceanographic Institution, and serves as a model for how an academic campus can act as a living laboratory for education, research and recreation. 

Recognition
BSLA | Honor Award 2009
SCUP | Honor Award 2009

Collaborators
Ellenzweig Associates Architects

Photography
Christian Phillips Photography