UMaine’s Foster Student Innovation Center Recognized for Design Excellence
Contact: Renee Kelly, 207-581-1401
ORONO — UMaine’s new Foster Student Innovation Center has been recognized for design excellence by a national organization that promotes and recognizes creativity and efficiency in the planning and construction of educational buildings.
The Foster Center, an incubator for students who are innovators and entrepreneurs at UMaine, has tied for grand prize in the new construction/college division competition conducted by EducationDesignShowcase.com, a website showcasing 135 of the best-designed and constructed school, college and university educational buildings.
The Foster Center tied with the Kansas Life Sciences Innovation Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Grand prize winners receive $1,000 scholarships presented to the winning institutions.
The award-winning projects displayed on the EducationDesignShowcase.com site were evaluated by a jury of administrators, architects and facility planners for excellence in design and functional planning directed toward meeting the needs of the education program, according to its website. Criteria considered in the evaluations included: aesthetic characteristics; innovation and creativeness; attention to safety and security; efficient use of space; planned flexibility to accommodate change; accessibility for diverse users; site design, adaptation and development; selection of materials; attention to the environment, maintainability and energy use; and cost effectiveness.
The UMaine Foster Student Innovation Center opened in the fall of 2006. Designed by Oak Point Associates of Biddeford, the certified LEED-NC Silver facility is state of the art in technology and sustainability. As an Education Design Showcase winner, the center will be featured in the upcoming issue of College Planning & Management magazine.
For information about the Foster Center or its programs, contact Renee Kelly, director of Economic Development Initiatives, Office of Research and Economic Development and Director of Programs and Outreach, Foster Student Innovation Center, at 207-581-1401, or email: rwkelly@maine.edu.
Education Design Showcase is a subsidiary of Peter Li Education Group, a national educational publishing and media company serving the K-12 and higher education market.