The hatchery on Buzzards Bay is a commercial shellfish hatchery designed for a start-up producer planning to sell shellfish larvae to commercial farms and environmentally beneficial repopulation initiatives from North Carolina to Maine. The building is in FEMA Zone VE, so most ground-level walls and materials are made of a break-away polycarbonate system that protects brood tanks, setting trays, algae reservoirs, and a sophisticated seawater filtration system. The entry and stair volume is more solid, but is a plug-in storage container clad in 316 stainless steel that can also yield to flood waters. The more permanent upper floor is lifted above flood levels by concrete columns and clad in Atlantic White Cedar shingles. This level includes a shared office, bathroom facilities, and an array of bags for growing algae, which is food for shellfish. The roof above the algae growing room is punctured with roof monitors to admit generous natural light. The hatchery itself serves much the same function as a healthy shellfish, taking polluted water from Buzzards Bay, cleaning it to support the hatchery brood, and returning clean water to the bay.