RISD’s North Hall / All photo by John Horner
Providence, RI – Shawmut Design and Construction, a national construction management firm, celebrates the opening of Rhode Island School of Design’s (RISD) North Hall, the college’s first newly constructed residential facility to open in 34 years.
The first cross-laminated timber (CLT)-steel hybrid residence hall in New England, the $25 million project is an innovative model for reducing energy use and limiting environmental impact while providing a customized space designed to allow students to thrive.
North Hall was designed by award-winning architect and RISD Architecture alumnus Nader Tehrani (RISD 86) in collaboration with fellow principals Katherine Faulkner and Arthur Chang and their firm NADAAA.
North Hall interior
Thanks to thoughtful input from the campus community, NADAAA’s design features common spaces for socializing, making, reflecting and creative expression, tailored to meet the varied needs of today’s art and design students. The 40,790sf structure houses 148 first-year students on six floors, featuring amenities such as living spaces that facilitate interaction through breakout rooms, workrooms, social lounges, a shared kitchen and studio and gallery spaces, as well as private retreats, a spray booth and bike storage. Shawmut Design and Construction managed the project.
North Hall
The state-of-the-art project featuring innovative construction methods pairing the steel frame with CLT slabs, along with a high-performance envelope comprised of brick and fiber cement panel rainscreen skin, engaged an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method to collaboratively fuse the talents of the many teams involved.
Highlights in key areas include making use of environmentally friendly and healthy materials; using approximately 27% less energy than a typical code-compliant building; saving more than 3,200 gallons of water per day compared to other code-compliant buildings housing a similar number of people; promoting health, comfort and productivity among residents by giving students control over their thermal comfort and lighting; and incorporating a variety of comfortable spaces for work and relaxation.
Project consultants and trade partners include: Landworks Studio, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., Odeh Engineers, Environmental Systems Inc., Reilly Electrical Contractors (RELCO), Arden Engineering Constructors, Jensen Hughes, Kalin Associates Inc., Colliers International, DiGregorio, SyNet Inc., Encore, GZA, John Strafach & Sons, Ocean Steel, HB Welding, Worcester Air, Chandler Architectural, Sweeney Drywall, Grande Masonry, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Andelman & Lelek Engineering and Acentech.
