In 2003 KITE created a master plan for the long-term growth of an enlarged School of Architecture, Art, and Historic Preservation at Roger Williams University, and a design for immediate expansion that built upon the success of their original 1984 design. The addition responds to the need for interdisciplinary interaction, creates studio and support spaces suitable for graduate work, and facilitates increased visibility to the University and community at large.
The new construction accommodated a modest budget and aggressive schedule while capitalizing on the functional and aesthetic opportunities. A high performance rainscreen cladding system, generous glazing, and simple geometric forms makes the addition clearly identifiable as new. The free-standing masonry piers integrate this new work with the original building and support shading louvers that employ sustainable, passive solar strategies.
The project was one of the first in the United States to use the now-popular Trespa cladding system, which is a rain screen that reduces air and water infiltration while providing a highly durable exterior panel.
A new 99-seat lecture hall, an indoor exhibition gallery, an outdoor sculpture court (including a rear projection digital media screen that has been integrated into the architecture), graduate architecture studios, art department faculty and review spaces, and dramatic public interiors promote cross-discipline collaboration.
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