MaineHealth Portland and Scarborough Campus Modernization
For over 25 years, Sebago Technics has been a trusted partner to Maine Medical Center. That relationship took center stage with the hospital’s largest modernization in its history—a multi-year, multi-phase transformation of its Portland and Scarborough campuses. Designed to elevate patient care and meet evolving healthcare demands, the project relied on Sebago’s deep healthcare experience and integrated site services to bring the vision to life.
Location
Portland & Scarborough, Maine
Sector
Healthcare
Services
- Civil Engineering
- Landscape Architecture
- Environmental Services
- Planning & Permitting
Completed
Ongoing, with major components completed between 2019-2021
THE CHALLENGE
Modernizing Maine Medical Center’s Portland campus meant reimagining three densely developed urban blocks, all while keeping one of the state’s most vital hospitals fully operational.
Located in the heart of Portland’s West End, the campus had to contend with more than 80 feet of elevation change, aging and overlapping utility infrastructure, and complex circulation routes used daily by patients, staff, and emergency vehicles.
Adding to the complexity, the project required the closure and realignment of two city streets, which demanded coordination with city departments and engagement with the public. Balancing large-scale construction with the hospital’s ongoing commitment to delivering uninterrupted care made this transformation as delicate as it was essential.
A trusted partnership
As a long-time partner to Maine Medical Center, Sebago Technics was uniquely positioned to lead the site development efforts for this historic transformation. With over 25 years of collaboration behind us, we had a solid understanding of the hospital’s operations, infrastructure, and long-term vision. That trust and institutional knowledge allowed us to work with agility and precision, aligning seamlessly with MMC’s internal teams, external partners, and community stakeholders from the outset.
Approach, continued
Patient care, first
We provided comprehensive site services—civil engineering, landscape architecture, and permitting—for both the Portland and Scarborough campuses. Our work included parcel evaluations, master planning, site design, public engagement, and regulatory permitting. We also supported the extensive city review and public participation process with presentation graphics and verbal testimony, helping to secure permits from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the City of Portland. Through it all, we remained focused on a singular goal: supporting Maine Medical Center’s mission to enhance patient care and operational efficiency while minimizing disruption to ongoing healthcare delivery.
Portland Campus
The Portland campus posed the most complex challenges. Spanning three dense urban blocks in the West End, the site featured more than 80 feet of grade change, complicated utility infrastructure, and highly constrained internal and external circulation patterns.
To address these challenges, we developed innovative grading and circulation solutions that maintained accessibility for emergency services, patients, and staff throughout the site. Our phased design approach allowed for the hospital’s ongoing operation during construction—a critical requirement.
To improve the public’s experience amid a campus-wide transformation, our team designed a new pocket park dedicated to the City of Portland. More than just a green space, the park served as a thoughtful solution to circulation and access challenges, transforming a long-problematic corner of the site into a welcoming community asset. It reflects our commitment to creating spaces that serve both our clients and the neighborhoods they’re part of.
We also supported the planning and permitting of the Sisters Heliport, located atop the Coulombe Family Tower. This required navigating complex FAA aviation standards and healthcare design regulations to ensure seamless integration.
The most logistically complex aspect of the Portland effort was the vacation and realignment of two public streets—an undertaking that required coordination across multiple city departments, extensive public engagement, and clear, compelling communication with stakeholders. We provided high-quality visual simulations and verbal testimony throughout the city review process, helping to build consensus and secure regulatory approvals.
Scarborough Campus
At the Scarborough campus, Sebago Technics helped lead the design and permitting of a new 108,000-square-foot medical office building to consolidate neuroscience, ENT, and vascular surgery practices into one regional center for specialty care.
Our work included master planning, site engineering, permitting, and presentation graphics. As with the Portland campus, we collaborated with MMC’s leadership and medical teams to ensure that the final site design supported care delivery and future expansion needs. This advanced the hospital’s commitment to regional access and operational efficiency while reinforcing a consistent design language and patient experience across both campuses.
The Results
Advocates for the vision
The transformation of Maine Medical Center’s Portland and Scarborough campuses did more than expand square footage. It redefined how the hospital delivers care, connects with the community, and plans for long-term growth. Sebago Technics played a critical role in translating complex vision into real-world outcomes, helping Maine’s largest hospital move from idea to implementation with clarity and confidence.
In Portland, our site design and permitting strategies supported the expansion of the Coulombe Family Tower, which introduced 64 private oncology patient rooms and a rooftop heliport—an aviation-certified facility made possible through Sebago’s knowledge of both healthcare and FAA requirements. We also facilitated the vertical expansion of the visitor parking garage, adding 225 much-needed spaces, and supported the redevelopment of an outdated employee garage into a modern parking structure on nearby St. John Street.
At the Scarborough campus, we contributed to the development of a 108,000-square-foot regional medical office building. This building is designed to bring together neuroscience, ENT, and vascular surgery practices in one advanced care center, optimized for both current delivery models and future adaptation.
The most transformative milestone was the creation of the Malone Family Tower, a new hospital building and primary entrance that reshaped the Congress Street corridor and positioned the campus for decades of continued excellence. Sebago’s leadership in phasing, infrastructure coordination, and regulatory approvals was instrumental in bringing this vision to life.
Each element of the campus upgrade resulted from close collaboration, technical expertise, and a shared commitment to the hospital’s mission. From rethinking site circulation to resolving elevation constraints and guiding the public approval process, Sebago Technics ensured that care delivery never took a backseat to construction.
