Printer Friendly Version - Centerbrook Shares Chad Floyd with Mystic

This architect’s rendering show Mystic Seaport’s newest proposed addition, the 14,000-square-foot Thompson Exhibition Building. Designed by Chad Floyd, the building was drawn to evoke the movement of the sea and designed to provide dynamic exhibition space for the museum year-round.

With a résumé that includes more than 101 national and regional design awards and more than four decades of experience, it is no wonder that when the Mystic Seaport wanted to design a new exhibition building, it came to Chad Floyd, a partner in charge at Centerbrook Architects and Planners.

With his usual attention to detail and flair for creating innovative building designs that inspire as well as meet the needs of clients, Floyd has designed a unique, imaginative space on the 19-acre Seaport campus.

He has designed a 14,000-square-foot wood and glass structure called the Thompson Exhibition Building. It was inspired, Floyd said, by the geometry of the sea—the movement of waves and the curvature of ship hulls and skeletal forms of sea creatures. Its distinctive façade, with a slanted roof and exposed beams, simulates the ribs of a ship.

“We knew right away that this building would have to be something special,” said Floyd, an Essex resident who has been with Centerbrook Architects for the past 40 years. “All our projects are special and unique, but this one was very different. There are a lot of things I am proud of about this project, but if I had to distill it down to one thing, it would be finding a way to create a building that is emblematic of Mystic Seaport on several different levels.”

He added, “We wanted this building to be something that would stand out, be interesting and iconic on a deeper level. This building is in response to the geometry of the sea and the kinetic movement of waves. The sea is moving all the time, so this building is all about the curves, which give it the sense of the movement of water.”

Using materials from which old ships were made, the building is home to several different spaces including a welcoming area where visitors can rest, purchase tickets, and meet friends. There’s also a large meeting room space that has been designed so it can easily be reconfigured as needed for different events and, at the core of the building, a 5,000-square-foot gallery area. This space is climate- and humidity controlled so it can house relevant exhibitions from all over the world. It has state-of-the-art security elements and the lighting has been designed by George Sexton, who also designed the lighting for the Museum of Modern Art. The space is large enough to house multiple exhibits at one time, which will enhance the visitor experience at the Seaport.

Working on the creation of this building for several years, the Seaport is still in the process of fundraising for the $11.5 million project, which broke ground this past January. Hopes are to have the project finished by September 2016.

“This new building will allow us to have a much more robust and interesting winter experience here at the Mystic Seaport,” said Susan Funk, executive vice president of Mystic Seaport.

Floyd said this project has been a pleasure to work on, thanks in part to project manager Charles Mueller of Deep River, to whom Floyd refers to as his right hand man, and AZ Corporation Construction Company of the North Stonington/Ledyard area, which is constructing the building.

“The people we worked with from the Mystic Seaport have been wonderful. This really has been an exciting project for all of us and I am very proud to be a part of it,” said Floyd.