Work has begun on the GEM Factory of the Future building in Maine designed by architecture studio Grimshaw and SMRT to integrate technological and robotic advancements with fabrication.
Located at the University of Maine, the Green Energy and Materials Factory of the Future (GEM building) is a research facility focused on providing space for students, professors and researchers to integrate developing AR, AI, machine learning and other technological advancements with bio-based manufacturing.
“Construction has officially commenced for the Green Energy and Materials Factory of the Future – an innovative research facility focused on revolutionizing manufacturing through AI-enabled, large-scale bio-based additive manufacturing,” said the team.
Grimshaw designed the building in partnership with architecture studio SMRT and engineers Thornton Tomasetti.
“[The GEM building] is designed to be a nexus for the University of Maine’s campus and a hub for bringing manufacturing back into the academic discourse,” said Grimshaw New York principal Mark Rhoads.
The two-storey building will be made with a mass-timber frame and clad in metallic panels. Renderings show a glazed primary entrance, with slim windows running along the height of the building intermittently.
The building’s interiors will hold laboratories and large open spaces for manufacturing. Images show mobile robots hovering over desks, as well as a large manufacturing bay where two robotic arms are assembling the hull of a ship.
According to the team, the building will contain two of these manufacturing bays, each with 40-foot (12-metre) clear heights and 120 feet long (37 metres). The spaces will provide room to fabricate components up to 60 by 100 feet (18 by 30 metres).
The facility will focus on bio-based additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing with wood polymers.
“This revolution in clean technology and advanced manufacturing demands a new generation of highly skilled, tech-savvy makers fluent in the latest innovations,” said Rhoads.
“Higher education must recalibrate its approach, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and creating learning environments that emphasize experiential learning and cutting-edge research to equip future engineers, architects, and technicians for this dynamic landscape.”
The building is slated for completion in summer 2026.
Recently, Grimshaw completed another research building at the University of Arizona, while teams of students and professors built a series of pavilions on the historic grounds of Woodstock that explored a semi-automatic approach to construction
The images are courtesy of Grimshaw
