The Atlantic Science Enterprise Centre (ASEC) is a new research facility that will provide federal scientists and partners with state-of-the-art space and equipment to collaborate on research opportunities, understand, protect and sustain Atlantic freshwater and coastal ecosystems in Canada.

Occupying the former home of the Collège Notre-Dame-d’Acadie, the design will interpret the building’s historical pavilion character, and strive to commemorate the site’s original program by integrating and adapting key elements and spaces into the new complex.

A welcoming full-height atrium and skylit galleria will serve as an informal exhibition space and place for gathering, and create an architectural transition between the retained heritage façade and new building.

A key objective of the ASEC project is to establish new partnerships with First Nations and Indigenous groups through extensive engagement and visioning sessions. Indigenous ways of knowing and being will inform the building’s design in a number of ways. Large open spaces, flooded with natural light will offer places of gathering, spaces for learning and collaboration and talking circles. The use of wood and glazing will offer a sense of warmth and belonging, and open-up the facility towards the outdoors, creating connections with the natural surroundings. Visual representations of Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy culture will be found throughout the new facility and its landscape, offering an inclusive environment where Indigenous ceremonies, storytelling, meetings, and cultural training can take place.

The net-zero carbon facility will allow the scientific work it will host to be advanced in an energy efficient and sustainable manner. It will create synergies between those performing similar research, while providing opportunities for interactions that foster unexpected collaborations, and engagement with the community and Indigenous groups.