In order to compete with other institutions while also offering its student body better facilities, RISD needed to expand its housing capacity by a minimum of 300 beds.  The feasibility study locates housing on Nickerson Green, a recently acquired site north of the existing freshman dormitory facilities.  The building included educational facilities such as classrooms, studio rooms or a computing center. The goal of the project was to build a dormitory that exemplified design quality and innovation achieved within a clear and limited budget. The project recognized and respected the historic context of the neighborhood, while meeting the unique needs of RISD students. The project addressed the requirements of a very low budget with longevity and low maintenance costs in mind.

Principals: Monica Ponce De Leon, Nader Tehrani
Project Coordinator: Albert Garcia, Christine Mueller
Design Team: Kristen Giannattasio, Tali Buchler, Lisa Huang