Providence, RI – A blessing-of-beams-and-raising ceremony was held recently at Providence College, signaling the completion of a key construction milestone for the new addition to the Albertus Magnus Science Complex, designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative.
Providence College Science Complex addition and renovation / SLAM rendering
SLAM brings a new vision for the complex that is founded on creating an addition which represents a new front entrance that will become a showpiece for research and teaching. The new $50 million multiphased project, an initiative of the Campus Transformation Project, is contained within three adjoining buildings and includes a 36,000sf addition to the existing 70,000sf science complex, which will also undergo extensive renovations currently in design. The complex houses teaching and research space for the biology, chemistry and biochemistry, psychology, and engineering-physics-systems departments.
The addition’s design uses stone as a base material that begins at the entrance and presents a three-story expression of science that continues throughout the facility. The goal of faculty and administration is to bring the excitement of what is happening in the building to the surrounding quadrangle. This provides an enriched quad experience. Their vision continues with the transformation of three adjacent brick buildings to the state-of-the-art lab and research space.
The new addition is expected to be completed in autumn 2018, with the multiphased renovation continuing into the following years. Construction is being provided by BOND Brothers Construction of Everett, Mass.
“The new addition embraces the energy of the faculty, researchers, and scholars who will advance the sciences at Providence College. The existing science complex will be transformed by replacing existing windows and expanding interior layouts to create a science loft setting,” says Neil Martin, AIA, lead designer and SLAM principal.
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Since 2013, SLAM’s team of programmers, planners, and interior designers have worked closely with key stakeholders in developing a program that will encourage collaboration amongst students and faculty within a multi-disciplinary environment across a variety of spaces including state-of-the-art classrooms, lecture halls, labs, offices, seminar rooms, collaborative areas, and student/faculty common areas. In addition to full architectural services, SLAM also provided Pre-Construction estimating, Structural Engineering and Landscape Architectural services.
“This is an exciting time of transformation at Providence College, as it readies the campus for today’s learners and next generation classes to come. The new addition to the Science Complex represents a commitment to providing high-performing spaces to advance the sciences and educate future leaders in environments that inform and positively impact teaching and learning outcomes,” says Richard Polvino, AIA, LEED AP, SLAM Principal-in-Charge on the project.
SLAM has a longstanding relationship with Providence College that includes completion of a comprehensive Master Plan in support of the College’s 2017 Centennial and implementation of the Campus Transformation Project. As part of the campus transformation, SLAM has recently completed the programming and design of the new 64,000sf Ruane Center for Humanities, and is currently leading the Huxley Avenue Transformation project, a pedestrian thoroughfare to replace the roadways surrounding Huxley Avenue and provide a link between east and west campus.
