Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution began construction in March of 2020 on a 50,000-sf innovation hub in Falmouth, Mass. Designed by DSK, the three-story building will provide offices, labs, and meeting spaces for new research programs on above-water and underwater autonomous vehicle and sensor technologies (AVAST). Supporting WHOI's Strategic Facility Assessment, the project will enable staff to be relocated from existing waterfront facilities in order to collocate investigators and enhance research synergies. Offering a series of large, double-height working spaces with cranes and overhead doors, the facility will include project workrooms, fabrication suites, collaboration areas, and an inviting nexus for social gatherings. The third floor will initially provide shell space, which will be utilized to temporarily house existing departments whose buildings require renovation. Durable rainscreen panel façades on the structure's exterior will echo the warmth of weathered gray cedar while requiring significantly less maintenance than traditional wood, and the rooftop will be ready to accommodate photovoltaic panels. Completion is expected in 2021. The project, which is located on the Quissett Campus, is being financed by a $75 million tax-exempt bond issued by MassDevelopment on behalf of WHOI. The bond proceeds also refinanced previously issued debt at a lower interest rate.
