Oregon State University today, Wednesday, unveiled the plans for its new $55 million Marine Studies Building in Newport. It will be the Oregon coast’s first vertical evacuation building in case of tsunami.
The building will be on the Hatfield Marine Science Center campus It’s part of OSU’s Marine Studies Initiative which includes academic research and outreach.
We’ve designed a building that enhances collaboration among our students as a teaching tool, draws on a very broad diversity of disciplines that are all ultimately tied to marine research.
Bob Cowen is Director of the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. “So the new building is at Hatfield, which we recognize is within the tsunami zone.” Cowen says, “It will also serve as a vertical evacuation, which adds a considerable safety option for the current residents of Hatfield.”
Vertical evacuation buildings are more common in Japan than the U.S. The nations’ first such building is in Washington state. OSU’s Marine Studies Building breaks ground early next year. Funds for the project come from a combination of private and state grants.
[I’m Rachael McDonald reporting.]
