Barry Mills Hall and the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies

Barry Mills Hall and the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies are located along the eastern edge of campus adjacent to David Saul Smith Union. The 45,900 square foot project provides state-of-the-art academic facilities and a new home for the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum.

The John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies building includes exhibit spaces, archeology research and teaching labs, a classroom and offices for museum staff.

The Mills Hall academic building houses two academic departments and includes a 60-person cinema classroom, four 40 – 60 seat flexible classrooms, twelve offices, huddle spaces for faculty and student collaboration, and a large event and catering space with a 300-person seated capacity.

Completion: December, 2022

Architect: HGA, Minneapolis, MN

Contractor: Consigli Construction Co., Portland, ME

Gibbons Center-Barry Mills Hall Project Among “Best of the Best”
The John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies and Barry Mills Hall, the two-building mass timber project completed last year, have been named one of 2023’s “Best of the Best Projects” by ENR, a weekly trade magazine covering the construction industry.
Dedication of Gibbons Center Opens New Era for Arctic Studies at Bowdoin
The new John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies positions Bowdoin as a world-class destination for Arctic research and education, an increasingly vital role as climate change and geopolitics shape the trajectory of the region and globe.
Barry Mills Hall and Gibbons Center Receive Wood in Architecture Award
The pioneering mass timber project comprising Barry Mills Hall and the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies has won a 2024 Wood in Architecture Award.