SOCIAL, POLITICAL & EDUCATIONAL

Location: Providence, RI

Year: 2017 Spring

By directly observing the buildings around the site and their functions, the design on the site is combined with the functional layout of the entire city. This project was designed in Downtown Providence, which was located in the financial area of the city center. This Art Center is a junction of social, educational and political texture of the city.

CONTEXT

Social, Educational & Political

Providence River geographically separates Providence Downtown and College Hill. Financial, commercial, and government buildings aggregate on the west side of the river, while residential, educational, political buildings are located on the east side of the river. As the center point of these urban elements, the Art Center breaks the demarcation and chains all the elements above visually.

Views From the Site

IN THE BUILDING

Space & Program Division

The building itself is a miniature model of the city center. Based on the existing urban texture, the site is divided into two major parts. The west side shares a more public and social space, and the east side presents a collection for education and art gallery.

The zigzag ramps increases the walking distance of visitors and refines the space experience. They point to the Supreme Court and Brown University School of Public Health. The changes in height during walking present different urban landscapes.

THE “WALL”

Spce in Between

The thick “Wall” stands for the Providence River whereas it is working more as a junction than a demarcation. The reading space in the middle is a shared space for both sides.

%25E5%259B%25BE%25E4%25B8%2580%2B%255B%25E8%25BD%25AC%25E6%258D%25A2%255Dsmall.jpg

ELEVATION & SHADING

Explore More Under Shading

The east side of Art Center is exposed. Double glazed apertures provide the building a higher light transmission, and allows viewers to see the elevated Studio and the outermost gallery, which also introduces people head toward social programs on the west side.

The view from the supreme Court reveals the combination of the gallery on the east side and the open café on the west side of the wall. Viewers are able to see the raised ramp through the glazing and the art gallery at the same time, which gives the art center two distinct social properties.

MATERIAL

Bricks & Masonry

Red bricks and light ocher masonry are the main theme of the entire city. The Art Center matches the same chord. While light ocher masonry has become the main material for the façade, the “wall” distinguished by the red brick emphasizes the program indoors by unifying the façade materials.