The Cable-Burns - Applied Technology and Engineering Center

The Applied Technology and Engineering Center (ATEC) at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, Maine is a state of the art facility that offers its students a curriculum of integrated engineering sciences and shop technology in a hands-on atmosphere.  The 10,300 square foot building is one-of-a-kind for the region where STEM fundamentals in education are cultured. The building is tucked into the hillside, the building’s thermal exposure is reduced to add to its efficiency. This semi-earthen concept takes advantage of a hillside slope otherwise hard to use. It frees up valuable space which allowed room for other campus components like the new dormitory and a new turf athletics field.

A high-performance insulated envelope and a ground source geothermal heating and cooling system in this all-electric building complement each other in a new standard for efficiency. The main entrance and lobby dissect the building program in half. The clerestory glass entry floods the space with light. On one side of the building are the classrooms for lecturing, computer design and electronic engineering; on the other side are the shop spaces for wood, metals and vehicle mechanics. Electronic data networking ties all of it together into one teaching lab. The computer rooms are purposely void of windows but soaked with natural light from large skylights, which helps diminish glare and eye fatigue. The exterior is clad in a combination of aluminum resin-filled panels and enamel-coated galvanized metal to give it a futuristic machine aesthetic.