PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Shawmut Design and Construction recently celebrated a virtual topping-off ceremony of Brown University’s under-construction wellness center and residence hall at 450 Brook Street in Providence, which is expected to be open in time for the university’s fall 2021 semester.

Shawmut, in partnership with William Rawn Associates, is completing the center that will mark the first new building in the university’s housing portfolio in 30 years. The facility will bring together Brown services and programs instrumental to students’ physical and emotional well-being—including Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Brown Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and BWell, the university’s health promotion program. The center will also include a 162-bed residence hall on the upper floors to create a unique community of students who are committed to developing and sustaining healthy lifestyles and promoting the well-being of the Brown community and beyond.

The project, which is part of the Brown/Shawmut Strategic Sourcing Program, is designed to LEED v4 Silver standards, using FitWel and Well certification systems as guidelines for the overall approach. This holistic approach to wellness translates directly into the building’s sustainable materials. Most prominently, the building features an innovative hybrid system of steel framing and cross-laminated timber (CLT), a carbon-negative material that promotes the use of renewable and environmentally sensitive resources, carefully managed forestry, and building technology that is meant to last.

When complete, the center will include a residence hall on the upper floors, including single bedrooms as well as several four-person suites—all with optimum views of the adjacent Pembroke Field. On the lower levels, the co-located student services include clinical areas, a counseling and psychological services team whose offices are arranged around a viewing garden, a health promotion center, and the student-led EMS department.

The interior environment of the building is infused with the same commitment to sustainability through its exposed CLT. The natural wood ceilings and a visible wood deck will present warm, natural material to students and faculty and amplify access to nature and daylight. In addition to strategies for natural ventilation in bedrooms for indoor air quality, the building will also be equipped with energy recovery technology on mechanical systems. All building systems are electric, which is a result of the university’s pledge to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2040.

To date, the project has stayed on schedule as Shawmut has deployed enhanced safety protocols to minimize potential coronavirus risk across all jobsites. The firm has rolled out new procedures, new job-site innovation, and an exhaustive COVID-19 risk assessment and response plan across the country.

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BABSON PARK, Mass. –– Windover Construction, an award-winning construction management firm specializing in academic building, recently completed construction of the Weissman Foundry at Babson College.

The 10,000-square-foot building is Babson’s newest and most innovative academic center. 

The Weissman Foundry is an open-door design studio inspiring transdisciplinary innovative collaboration between Babson, Olin and Wellesley students for the advancement of new or existing projects. It was made for the curious — the entrepreneurs, engineers, artists, and academics alike. Designed as an intentional mashup of student interests, the Weissman Foundry is meant to ignite forward-thinking idea exploration, iteration, and design, and to facilitate meaningful knowledge transfer between the three college communities.

School Construction News spoke with Randy Catlin, EVP & COO of Windover Construction, to discuss the project.

Q: When did construction begin and when was it completed? Architectural firm/general contractor?  

Catlin: Construction began in January of 2018 and was completed in August of 2018.

Builder: Windover Construction
Mechanical Engineer: Vanderweil Engineers
Architect: William Rawn Associates
Structural Engineer: LeMessurier

Q: What was the overall goal of this construction project?
Catlin: The overall goal of this project was to create a 10,000-square-foot open-door design studio to inspire transdisciplinary innovative collaboration between Babson, Olin, and Wellesley college students for the advancement of new or existing projects! It was made for the curious—the entrepreneurs, engineers, artists, and academics alike. Designed as an intentional mashup of student interests, the Weissman Foundry is meant to ignite forward-thinking idea exploration, iteration, and design, and to facilitate meaningful knowledge transfer between the three college communities.

Windover led the preconstruction and construction and collaborated with the design team to execute Babson’s vision for the advanced facility. Featuring areas for project work, large and small, this new creative space provides access to workbenches, advanced fabrication equipment, traditional tools, robotics, AR/VR, and sought-after connections to expertise and training.

Q: What are the major design elements/features? (Sustainable, if any?) How will this design influence/improve the student learning/teaching environment? 

Catlin: The facility features several complex and contemporary design elements. With meticulous upfront preconstruction planning, Windover prepared for the successful build of these elements despite facing a condensed, eight-month construction schedule. The stunning building envelope, consisting of the convergence of curtainwall, masonry, and metal panel at every elevation with dramatic wood canopies, required tight coordination across multiple trades to execute.

Interiorly, the space features polished concrete floors, open and connected spaces divided by louver-operated doors, wood slat ceiling accents, exposed ductwork, and moveable furniture, fixtures, and worksurfaces all contributing to the flexibility and utility of the space. As the name “Foundry” suggests, it is an industrial concept tempered by contemporary, stunning design features.

Set within a wooded landscape, the industrial-looking Foundry has abundant natural light, wood canopies, and a “living roof” that supports the college’s sustainability commitment and is registered with the certification goal of LEED® Silver. The facility also incorporates high-performance MEP systems, including a custom energy recovery unit.

Through these unique design elements, students and teachers alike enjoy a versatile and open environment that ignites forward-thinking idea exploration, iteration, and design, and knowledge transfer. The Foundry is a place for learning and hands-on experimentation.

Q: How does this project follow other national school construction trends? What is unique about this project compared to other school construction trends? 

Catlin: For many years now, the trend of experiential and transdisciplinary education has continued to grow and shape the way academic campuses are looking at their academic buildings and spaces. Learning environments are becoming more flexible, adaptable and integrated in response to this trend with buildings dedicated to STEM, STEAM, and STREM curriculums. With a focus on hands-on and collaborative learning, traditional classrooms are transforming into open-concept spaces with moveable furniture and makerspaces, and academic buildings are now being designed and programmed to host multiple disciplines under one roof.

Unlike STEM, STEAM, and STREAM buildings which are dedicated to select disciplines, the Weissman Foundry was intentionally designed to support a mash-up of student interests and a diverse spectrum of entrepreneurs, artists, engineers, and academics alike. Through experiential and transdisciplinary approaches, the Foundry is a place that equips students to use their collective business, engineering, and liberal arts educations to create impactful social and economic value everywhere.

Q: Are there any innovative technological/electronic systems or solutions integrated into this new facility?

Caitlin: Yes. Due to the unique industrial and open design, Windover facilitated the intricate MEP/HVAC infrastructure, including moveable fixtures, high power loads, and complex ductwork connections. All of this was made possible by using 3D BIM coordination and prefabrication of selected elements.

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WALTHAM, Mass. — Brandeis University in Waltham had a topping-off ceremony for its new residence hall on Oct. 16, 2017,. The ceremony marked the new building’s last steel beam raised, and was attended by the Brandeis University community, the project team and design partners.

The celebration included Medford, Mass.-based BOND Brothers Inc., a building, civil, utility and energy construction firm, and Boston-based architecture firm William Rawn Associates, the building’s designer. BOND is providing preconstruction and construction management services for the new 53,000-square-foot building. The team was tasked to deliver an environmentally friendly building that can house 164 students and provide common function space for the campus community as a whole.

“BOND is honored to partner with Brandeis University and the project team to build this new residence hall, an essential part of the campus,” said Robert Murray, BOND’s president. “This is a phenomenal project, which incorporates sustainability and modern design. We are excited to deliver upon the vision of this new facility which reflects the university’s commitment to academic excellence and innovation.”

The project will be financed with bonds, with an estimated total budget of $30 million. Site preparation began in June 2017, with demolition of portions of the previous building occurring in May. The project is on track, within budget and slated for completion in August 2018.

The schedule on the project is aggressive for a ground-up construction project of this size, according to Brendan O’Malley, project manager at BOND. “The site is relatively small and located on the main campus loop road,” said O’Malley. “Coordinating timely deliveries of material and ensuring multiple trades are working efficiently is critical to the project’s success.”

The new residence hall will replace the current student housing on the site, and will provide full accessibility and modern energy efficiency. With 164 beds, the new residence hall allows for 60 more beds than the previous housing, helping Brandeis to achieve its goal of housing more students on campus. The dorms will be a combination of double and single rooms over four floors. The building will include elevators, an open and inviting main stairway and easier movement between floors.

The building consists of two wings connected on the second, third and fourth floors by a bridge enclosed by a curtain wall. The student residence areas feature commons rooms, study lounges and a communal kitchen. The first floor of the southern wing — referred to as the Upper Campus Commons — will feature a kitchen, an assembly space and a multipurpose room that will serve all members of the campus community.

The building exterior consists of limestone, curtain wall, metal panel and a spandrel glass rain-screen system. The design of an ornamental stair and railing adjacent to a multistory curtain wall will create a unique aesthetic from both within and outside of the building. In addition, a large courtyard will attract students from adjacent residence halls and will serve as a new gateway to the Upper Campus. 

The new residence aims to meet student concerns in regard to needing more amenities in campus housing. The inclusion of dedicated study rooms and ample common spaces for gatherings and events were also a response to student requests. The new Upper Campus common space consists of a large common room seating up to 100 students, a smaller studio room for multi-use and a large kitchen area.

The study spaces will include four dedicated study rooms for eight to 10 students each in addition to six individual study or reading nooks throughout the building. There will also be “hangout” spaces, including four common area lounges with seating for eight to 12 each. In addition, there will be A/V and acoustic equipment, and storage to support performances and lectures.

The famed Chum’s Coffee House — which is located within the adjoining Usen Castle — was renovated this summer and opened early in time for the fall 2017 semester.

In addition to providing more space and opportunities for collaboration, the new residence hall will be the most sustainable facility on campus. The new residence hall will feature a rooftop solar array that will partially power the residence hall, provide a small amount of carbon offsets against the school’s carbon footprint inventory and will help with peak campus demand management. In addition, the new residence hall will have a 30- to 40-well geothermal system that will heat and cool the building.

“This will be the first building on campus that utilizes geothermal,” said O’Malley. “Typically, these geothermal systems are used for heating, cooling or hot water. The geothermal well field on this project provides all three.”

Check out the entire article in the November/December issue of School Construction News.

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