Providence, RI
Rhode Island School of Design, Fleet Library
Scope/Solutions
Designed by York & Sawyer, this 1917 Italian Renaissance style building is on the National Register of Historic Places. SGH worked with the architect and was responsible for investigating and analyzing the concrete-encased, steel-framed structure as part of a project to convert the building from banking offices to a school library. With this project, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) gains 55,000 sq ft of usable library space in the building’s 114 ft by 180 ft grand banking hall and housing for 500 RISD students on the upper eight floors.
Highlights of our work include the following:
- Reviewed existing documents and historical literature to gain an understanding of the existing construction
- Investigated the structure’s condition through destructive and nondestructive surveys
- Analyzed the existing structure and the new, digitally fabricated, one-story Reading Room and Circulation Island structures
- Conducted materials and physical testing of mockups to evaluate sustainable materials proposed for nonstandard applications
- Prepared construction documents and provided construction administration services
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Project Summary
2005
Completion Date
Award
Winner
Solutions
New Construction
Services
Structures
Markets
Education
Client(s)
Office dA
Specialized Capabilities
Building Design
Key team members
Additional Projects
Northeast
St. Paul’s School, Ohrstrom Library
Ohrstrom Library, built in the early 1990s, features sloped roofs and brick cladding with a stone base. School personnel reported deteriorating masonry and water leakage at multiple locations. SGH investigated the condition of the building enclosure and designed repairs.
Northeast
Bowdoin College, Museum of Art
In 1997, SGH developed a roofing rehabilitation program for the central copper dome. Subsequently in 2004, SGH worked with the project team on the building enclosure renovation, building expansion, and preservation of the original building.