A Lab by the Sea

Tabor's marine science center attracts students to the school who are interested in studying marine biology and oceanography. The architectural challenge was to replace an aging waterfront residence located in a hurricane velocity zone with a state of the art marine science laboratory. The design solution is as elegant as it is hard working in spite of the many hurdles to building on the shores of Sippican Harbor:


• It required five years of design and government agency approval
• The seaside platform was achieved with a sophisticated steel piling system supporting the elaborate concrete foundation and stone rip rap system which is set in place below sea level in the tidal marsh.
• The shingle siding wraps a significant concrete/steel frame designed to absorb hurricane force winds and waves
• The zinc standing seam roofing material provides a water tight roof enclosure that will stand up to high winds and exposure to damaging salt air conditions.


An exceptional way to study the sea is to reach out and get wet. Students at a New England college preparatory 9-12 school with a campus in the town of Marion, MA that stretches along a half mile of Sippican Harbor on Buzzards Bay leading to the Atlantic, now have that opportunity. The new Center for Marine and Nautical Sciences is a 7,500 square foot facility that provides Tabor students direct access to the study of marine life in the Sippican Harbor. The center features three classrooms, offices and project work space that includes a large wet lab equipped with an open pipe system that draws water from the harbor into tanks for study and then returns it to the harbor.