As a result of the 2017 Freshman Quad Masterplan NADAAA completed with RISD we were asked to design a new 41,000 sf residence hall at 60 Waterman Street in Providence, RI. The new residence hall is envisioned as part of a seamless itinerary that binds together RISD Beach, Homer Hall, The Met, and Nickerson Hall by embedded accessible passages. The new residence hall is Phase 1 of six planned phases for the Freshman Quad.

One of the most characteristic spaces of Providence is the RISD Beach with Belluschi’s perforated brick façade giving an abstract perforated front to the one public space that ties Benefit Street, Waterman Street, and Angel Street to the downtown sphere. It is this brick that may become the tectonic glue to the site, having the ability to ground the extension up the hill towards Prospect Street and the New Dormitory. The brick will serve as retaining walls, pilasters, and the grounding façades of both the north and south faces of the new residence hall at 60 Waterman Street.

Principals: Nader Tehrani, Katherine Faulkner

Project Architect and Principal: Arthur Chang

Project Team: Aaron Weller, Gretchen Neeley, Lisa LaCharité, Matthew Waxman, Nathan Vice, Nicole Sakr, Richard Lee, Ronnie Kataki, Veronica Volkova

Learn more about North Hall’s structural system HERE.