Home of the Roux Institute

After IDEALS identified the former B&M Baked Beans facility as an optimal location, Woodard & Curran collaborated with the project owner and regulators at the City of Portland to rezone the property from its historic industrial zoning to an institutional overlay zone. Woodard & Curran coordinated internal and subconsultant expertise to support the development of the long-term vision for the property. Our work as advisors and consultants culminated in a 33-page institutional development plan (IDP) that was approved by the City of Portland and will serve as the guidebook for implementing the long-term vision for the campus.

Stakeholder involvement has been critical to the development of the IDP, allowing the team the opportunity to identify and mitigate community concerns, and optimize positive outcomes. Community input has driven nearly every element of the development plan, from traffic and noise concerns to the question of whether the traditional holiday tree will be lit atop the historic bean factory building (it will).

In addition to authoring the Institutional Development Plan (IDP) and serving as strategic advisor for IDEALS, Woodard & Curran addressed numerous concerns with in-house resources. This included regulatory licensing for the turnover of the facility from B&M to IDEALS, utility coordination, environmental work related to hazardous building materials and site soil contamination, and permitting with the City of Portland, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Board of Harbor commissioners, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Woodard & Curran also provided design and construction phase services to support site demolition activities, while protecting the historic landmark building. We are currently providing consulting services for the first phase of development, including environmental remediation services, resilient design of campus infrastructure, land use permitting, and stormwater conveyance and treatment design utilizing low-impact development practices.

The Roux Campus will host academic programs geared toward advancing digital and scientific innovation, including those that will directly support the advancement of engineering and adjacent technologies and expertise while sustaining meaningful ties with the greater Portland community and Maine businesses. The campus was planned and designed to contribute to the surrounding East Deering neighborhood without encroaching on it or burdening City resources. By providing ancillary uses on site, the campus will meet demand created by the Roux Institute at Northeastern University and its collaborating partners.

The planning phase of this project received a 2025 Engineering Excellence Honor Award from the Maine chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC).