Page 12 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2020

story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster
Fphotos courtesy of the Marine Education Center at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
ormer University of Southern buildings in the event of a natural disaster. contamination in the event of a natural Mississippi (USM) Marine For these e orts, MEC was recognized disaster. White oak and southern yellow Education Center (MEC) with a 2020 American Institute of pine were selected as primary building
Director Chris Snyder once remarked,
“All buildings eventually end up in the ocean.” With that truth in mind, the
MEC team began work on the design of the Ocean Springs research laboratory. The nished project, a collaboration between USM, LakelFlato Architects
and unabridged Architecture & Studio Outside Landscape Architects, exempli es sustainable coastal building techniques in harmony with the marine environment. Biologists and coastal ecologists were consulted in selecting building sites and assessing ora and fauna in three predetermined zones, ultimately choosing the building zone with the least sensitive ecosystem, access to open water, and suitable building elevation to protect the
Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Award, the industry’s best-known award program for sustainable design excellence. Each year, ten innovative projects from all
over the world are recognized for their integration of design excellence with environmental performance. This is the rst project recognized in Mississippi.
Not only are the buildings sited within the existing tree canopy, allowing the trees to serve as a natural wind bu er, but the design focused on using and maintaining the land to serve as the rst line of defense. The MEC team worked with the Resilient Design Institute to select low-impact materials for the health of occupants and to avoid ocean
materials, allowing for any future repairs to be quickly and easily accommodated.
The MEC is the education and outreach arm of USM’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. The facility includes outdoor classrooms, laboratories, administration o ces, assembly spaces, exhibition
areas, and a pedestrian suspension bridge where researchers have an unparalleled opportunity to learn about the ecologically critical bayou and tidal wetlands of Mississippi.
Marine Education Center at USM Gulf Coast Research Laboratory 101 Sweet Bay Dr., Ocean Springs 228.818.8095 usm.edu/marine-education-center/index.php
COAST NOTE
USM MARINE EDUCATION CENTER
Receives Top Ten Award