US Land Port of Entry
Calais, ME
Sustainable design, secure connections: How Siegel achieved a new standard in port architecture.
As part of the Federal Design Excellence program, the United States General Services Administration awarded Robert Siegel Architects the commission to design a new U.S. Commercial Port of Entry & Border Station in Calais, Maine. The design creates a visual “open door” while providing a highly secure facility capable of handling 3,300,000 cars and trucks per year. The new facility is designed to create a visible testament to the dignity and strength of our Federal Government and to embody the spirit of the United States as welcoming and secure, now and in the future.
The design concept is the result of the process-driven approach to the project. The site is organized to maximize the efficiency and the security of the work performed there. Vehicular circulation is a fundamental determinant to the overall site planning concept. Equally important is the siting and configuration of the border station building elements, communicating welcome and security while maximizing efficiency. The building is sited at the high point of a relatively flat site, assuring line of sight visibility from the Station to the entry and exit points of the property. This creates clear, safe and efficient control of incoming and outgoing traffic. The site is configured around these operational needs to meet exceptional environmental standards, including the protection of the local aquifer and the collection and purification of site water run off. Internal circulation is a seamless system of physical connections within the building, extending and completing site circulation at many points. Spatial layout, interior design, the inclusion of balanced natural light, and the selection of materials and finishes have all been developed together to achieve a comprehensive and unified interior design, compatible with the exterior, for the new United States Border Station.
Services Provided
Architectural Design
Interior Design
Site Area
100,000 sq. ft.
Building Area
50 acres
CONSTRUCTION
PROCESS
SIEGEL
Robert Siegel
Eduardo Ramos
Richard Tobias
Brad Burns
Julien Leyssene
Wayne Walker
Holly Williams
Heather Pfister
Eva Hermoso
Justin Huang
Fatmir Hodzic
Scott Schwarzwalder
Tomonori Tsujita
Kelsey Yates
Rita Afonso
CONSULTANTS
Coast and Harbor (construction manager)
Andrew Herbine, Project Manager / Resident Superintendent
Marcella Lancome. Principal
Norman Dineen, Project Manager / Resident Superintendent
Craig Sandberg, Resident Superintendent
Robert Bailey, Estimator
Sasaki Associates (landscape)
Mark Dawson, Principal
Susannah Ross, Landscape Architect
Front Inc. (façade)
Bruce Nichol - Project Manager
Brian Guerrero
SMRT (LEED and commissioning)
Rolf Jensen & Associates (code consulting)
Michael Nicolletta
Alex Castellanos
Construction Specifications (specifications)
Aaron Pine - Principal
Pete & Company (cost estimating)
Pete Federman, Principal
Spencer Finch (artist)
Spencer Finch, Principal
Radii Inc. (architectural models / fabrication)
Ed Wood, Principal
Design Stor (design visualization)
Nicholas Moshenko, Principal
Arup (transportation, civil and building engineering)
Carl Mister, Project Manager
Mahadev Raman
Tom Kennedy
Michael O’Neill
Vincent Lee
Joshua Yacknowitz
Robert Otani
Ricardo Pittella
Khalid Eid
Victor Gomez
Christopher Rush
Adam Friedberg
CONSTRUCTION
PHOTOGRAPHY
J&J Contractors
Larry Bronner,
Project Superintendent
© Paul Warchol
© Robert Siegel Architects