Wednesday night I joined my project teammates and fellow employee owners on stage to proudly accept an AGC Build Maine Award for our work on the University of Southern Maine’s Portland Commons Residence Hall and McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success. The $83.6 million project, which was completed last year, is the largest in the school’s history.
The two connected facilities, which are centered on a one-acre green quad, include the 218,000-square-foot, eight-story Portland Commons student residence hall and the 42,000-square-foot, five-story McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success. Portland commons – the first-ever residence hall on the Portland campus – features 580 beds with a mix of single-occupancy rooms, studios and multi-bedroom apartments. The McGoldrick Center offers a career and employment hub, meeting rooms, study spaces and amenities including a dining common, coffee shop and pub.
One of the most exciting parts of this project is its extensive sustainability focus. Portland Commons, with its superior insulation and efficient building design, is the second-largest Passive House building at a university in the United States. The McGoldrick Center, with its large-scale 33.3-kW rooftop photovoltaic array and passive solar heating, along with a beautiful mass timber component comprising of 40% of the building, is pending LEED Gold certification.
Not only is this project a huge milestone for The University of Southern Maine, it’s also a project that is near and dear to the project team. Many of us have lived and worked around the Portland area our entire lives, so witnessing this historic transformation right in the center of campus is truly spectacular. We couldn’t be happier for future students and staff to excel in their new state-of-the art space, while also remembering the extensive efforts from not only PC Construction, but the design team and trade partners. Congratulations to the entire team and all entities involved over the last four years to make this project a success!