Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a public college in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, focused on maritime-related fields. One of the schools offered programs, Emergency Management, addresses three key concepts: hazard, risk, and disaster. Located on the ground floor of the Harrington Building, the Emergency Operations Training Center (EOTC) provides a teaching environment that simulates real EM Operations Centers.

The Academy wanted to showcase the EOTC and chose to locate it at the intersection of the main circulation corridors across from a large lecture hall. The center includes four spaces: Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Simulation Cell (SimCell), Conference Room, and the Incident Command Post (ICP). For the EOC, the design team removed the CMU walls and installed full-height glass walls with writable surfaces. Team worktables are arrayed for clear sightlines from the instructor’s central station in front of a large video wall. To avoid any visual obstructions, a low-profile raised floor (1.6”) was installed for power/data distribution. Teams of five each have a flat screen and mobile markerboard. Content can be shared across all the EOC screens and the central GIS table. The ICP is intentionally separated from the EOC to model field locations and activities. The SimCell manages and oversees all exercise control activities during exercise play. The Conference Room is for simulation exercise observers.