17 Apr Hurricane Island
GO Logic, in collaboration with Philip Conkling and Associates, recently created a master plan for the Hurricane Island Foundation. The foundation is interested in developing an off-the-grid, energy-independent educational center on Hurricane Island, a remote, rugged Maine island 12 miles off the coast in Penobscot Bay.
While GO Logic assessed the island’s current buildings and infrastructure, we came across artifacts—stone piers, foundations, rusted machinery—from the 19th and early 20th centuries, when Hurricane Island was the site of extensive granite quarrying operations. Later, in the mid-1960s, Outward Bound built infrastructure, community buildings, cabins, and tent platforms in and among the remnants of the old town, but shut down operations in 2006 when the difficulties of maintaining a remote island proved too great. Hurricane Island Foundation is looking at repurposing the existing facilities and creating an experiential education program on the island for a variety of audiences, from secondary school students to university researchers; their desire for sustainability and a cost-effective solution to maintaining the island brought them to GO Logic and our expertise in energy efficiency.
Hurricane Island is an especially exciting project for us because of its remote location and the challenges associated with that, including limited native resources and energy use. Due to the high costs associated with bringing electricity and other resources to the island, there is real and significant pressure to conserve and develop alternative systems. In many ways, this project is a microcosm of the larger issues of resource management and sustainable development. Stay tuned for more on this master plan, including our work on a self-sufficient, off-the-grid cabin prototype for such rural locations.
