Mackenzie Inc. and O’Brien-Lucas Ventures recently broke ground on a 77-unit housing project for Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon.

The $16.5 million, 34,000-square-foot housing project will feature 72 studio-style units and five two-bedroom units that can serve both shorter and longer-term stays. The facility is being built off Southeast 40th Street in South Newport, about three-quarters of a mile from the Hatfield campus.

Mackenzie is the project architect and provides services in architecture, interiors, civil and structural engineering, and landscape architecture. The general contractor is O’Brien-Lucas Ventures, a joint venture partnership of O’Brien Construction and Lucas Design-Build. The housing will support students taking classes or participating in research projects at Hatfield, faculty researchers, instructors and teaching assistants, visiting researchers and other mission partners.

The team incorporated an innovative modular panelization process in the design. The building is designed to take advantage of panelized modules that are prefabricated offsite by Freres Engineered Wood, an Oregon manufacturer. These will then be assembled onsite, supporting an efficient construction process and a sustainable approach.