The Narragansett Bay Campus Master Plan
Over the next decade, facilities, buildings and the campus itself will be transformed as construction begins. First adopted in 2016, the plan details and recommends a significant investment in modernized research and teaching facilities, space that catalyzes partnerships and initiatives, and infrastructure that is sustainable, resilient and efficient. The Narragansett Bay Campus Master Plan is founded on the notion of “renewal”—to build on the immutable features and character of GSO, and to enhance its capability.
A steering committee, comprised of representatives of the leadership of the Graduate School of Oceanography and the Department of Ocean Engineering, as well as senior staff from URI Campus Planning and Design, directed creation of the plan. This committee provided guidance to the master planning team at Ellenzwieg Architects throughout the planning process. The process also involved meeting with 15 different user groups comprised of faculty, staff, and students, who provided input toward the development of a detailed space program.
The plan’s first projects are about to roll off the drawing board…
A New Research Vessel Pier
Planned, designed, and permitted, a new pier will accommodate and serve GSO’s next Regional Class Research Vessel (RCRV)—a 199-foot-long ship that is under construction and slated to arrive in 2023.
The existing 60-year-old pier is being replaced by a larger, more durable, facility. Construction begins in the summer of 2021.
The Ocean Technology Design Laboratory
The future of ocean exploration, research, and enterprise lies in rapid development and deployment of sophisticated systems—systems with robotic components and capabilities. This lab (pictured above) will support research and development of oceangoing technological innovation. Equipment and robotics developed here can take advantage of the new RCRV’s advanced systems for launch and recovery at sea. Moreover, the facility will help GSO form and sustain robust, interdisciplinary partnerships at URI, with collaborating universities, and in new public-private endeavors.
The Ocean Technology Design Laboratory—a new building on campus—is in the schematic-design phase with planners, architects and engineers. Its target-completion-date is 2024.
One Roof for Marine Operations
A single, well-equipped facility—situated near the pier—will centralize functions currently dispersed across campus in old, inadequate buildings. Support for operations of the research vessel, like logistics and scheduling, equipment assembly, machine shops, the dive program, and personnel, will be adjacent (a short walk down the hall, not a long walk across campus) to reduce overhead costs and to realize gains in efficiency, productivity and quality.