Bowdoin College Breaks Grounds on Center for Arctic Studies

Bowdoin College held a groundbreaking ceremony in April of 2021 for the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies in Brunswick, Maine. Designed by HGA, the 16,426-sf facility will be dedicated to the broad multidisciplinary study of the Arctic. Interactive teaching and laboratory spaces will enable faculty, students, and visiting researchers to better understand the region's unique environmental conditions and challenges. The structure will also provide a new home for the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum featuring modern galleries and integrated support areas. This strategic colocation will dramatically improve the opportunities for students to work with the collections, for Bowdoin faculty to teach using the museum’s resources, and for visiting scholars to engage with the Arctic Studies Program. Construction is now underway with completion expected in fall of 2022.

The Center for Arctic Studies is part of a $36.5 million, two-building project that includes the construction of Barry Mills Hall. Site work began in April of 2021 on the academic building, which will include four flexible classrooms, twelve offices, collaboration spaces, a multimodal event venue, and a 60-person cinema classroom. Consigli Construction Co. is the general contractor for both facilities.