RISD Chace Center

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Project Background

The Chace Center at the Rhode Island School of design (RISD) functions as both an extension of the RISD Museum of art as well as a teaching facility for students, faculty and staff. Major functions of the building are gallery space, drawing studios, an auditorium, museum shop/cafe and an expanded art storage facility. the Chace Center fits within the urban campus of RISD and serves as a prominent focal point in the streetscape of downtown Providence.

A Shared Vision

The Chace Center offers picture-perfect views of Providence and reinforces RISD’s core values of environmental sensitivity, academic excellence, community engagement and arts advocacy. Because of the project’s gallery function, the museum requires tight humidity control and a constant volume air handling system. the constant volume system was designed to meet the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 90.1 standard. This success as well as the project’s final LEED® silver certification demanded an integrated approach between international architect José Rafael Moneo, the engineers, and the contractor.

Strategies and Results

The project’s goal was to build a lEEd certified museum and teaching facility on a brownfield. the project team committed to water efficiency by installing 0.5 GPf urinals, ultra low-flow lavatories and low flow kitchen faucets, and realized additional savings by not designing for irrigation. the project used post-consumer and/or pre-consumer recycled content for 13% of the total building material. the energy cost of much of the raw materials used is low since the project used building materials that were harvested, extracted, or recovered within 500 miles of the project site. a majority of the wood-based building materials was harvested from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests, including the rift wood white oak wall paneling in the auditorium. the interior paints, adhesives and sealants, carpet systems, composite wood and agrifiber products are all low-emitting materials, meaning they comply with and are equal to or below allowable volatile organic compound (VOC) limits. RISD implemented a green housekeeping program for an extremely healthy indoor environment.

Recycling collection areas for the facility have been provided, and waste management has been a central part of the project from the beginning. about 90% of construction waste was diverted from landfill and sorted by appropriate waste types. the project discourages driving and encourages cycling by providing bicycle storage. If visitors without access to bicycles commute to the site, they can do so by bus, trolley, or train since the project is centrally located. a decrease in the site’s heat island effect was made possible by replacing a vacant lot with Energy Star compliant, high albedo roofing. the roof design meets Best Management Practices (BMPs) for removal of stormwater pollutants, 80% of total suspended solids (tSS) and 40% of annual total phosphorous through a stormwater filtration system.

About Rhode Island School of Design

Rhode Island School of design (RISD) has earned a worldwide reputation as the preeminent college of art and design in the country. today, RISD enrolls approximately 1,975 undergraduates and 425 graduate students from the United States and almost 50 countries, offering degree programs in the fine arts, architecture and design disciplines, and art education. In addition, the RISD Museum of art offers a wide array of educational and public programs. for more information, go to www.risd.edu.

Download LEED Project Profile (PDF)