BOSTON – Harriman, a multi-disciplinary design and engineering firm with offices in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, announced that it has finalized work on the 30,000 SF Sargent Family Community Center in Presque Isle, Maine.
Harriman developed a master plan and was responsible for architectural and interior design, and civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering.
The Sargent Family Community Center is part of a strategic economic development plan to strengthen the city of Presque Isle, enhancing downtown revitalization and improving the health of the people who live and work in the area. Harriman designed a master plan for the site, which included the community center as well as new traffic patterns, parking, and recreation fields. Located within walking distance of this small northern Maine city’s downtown, the grounds are arranged to allow for maximum future expansion options and the building is oriented to welcome visitors who arrive from multiple directions by either foot or car.
“Our new Sargent Family Community Center brings together people of all ages with a variety of social and recreational activities. It is wonderful to see our youth and our seniors interacting together in a bright, lively place in the heart of our city,” said Martin Puckett, city manager of Presque Isle. “We are incredibly pleased with Harriman’s design services. They created a multi-functional facility and incorporated many options to allow us to get the most benefits out of the building as possible. They delivered excellent service and, despite being four hours away, were on site and available to us whenever we needed them.”
The facility features a large central lobby equipped with a reception counter and administrative offices which overlook a teen center, senior center, gymnasium, and multipurpose room. Each functional space accommodates multiple programs to provide maximum utility and flexibility. The kitchen is situated so it can serve senior citizen meals and cater events hosted in the spacious lobby. The William Haskell Gymnasium, named for the city’s first recreational director, easily reconfigures to accommodate a variety of programs with spectator areas and an indoor walking track.
The lobby floor features a compass rose to represent Presque Isle’s directional compass and emphasizes togetherness and celebration of one another. Floor to ceiling glass walls allow for open visibility, reinforcing an intergenerational connection that is a priority to this community, while still providing dedicated spaces for age specific activities. The interior color palate was selected in collaboration with a volunteer building committee and light, natural tones were chosen. Aesthetically pleasing yet functional materials provide ease of maintenance.
Efficiency Maine has recognized the facility for meeting its Advanced Buildings Program requirement, which requires new commercial buildings to be designed and constructed to be 30 – 35% more energy-efficient than the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code. The program offers a prescriptive cash incentive per square foot, helping off-set the additional design time for the design firm and the higher initial costs of the efficient lighting and control systems for the building owner. The energy efficient features offer reduced heating and electric bills, lower maintenance costs, and greater comfort for employees, with better lighting and more even distribution of heating and cooling.
The building is situated to take advantage of natural daylight, with clerestory windows to welcome an abundance of reflected daylight and roof overhangs to prevent glare and heat gain during summer months. HVAC costs are projected to reflect a 25% combined energy input cost savings over a baseline case building.
The $7.9 million project was funded by private donors and public funds. The project team included Nickerson & O’Day, Inc. of Bangor as the general contractor.
