Institute at Brown for Environment and Society
Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
2013

The Institute at Brown for Environment and Society will be the new home for the Hunter Psychology Lab and will be completely refurbished with new classrooms and research spaces, meeting the current demands of the environmental programs. Research activities in the Lab range from transgenic plantation and marine specimen analysis, to environmental policy studies. Researchers additionally tackle issues such as global warming, water scarcity, and ecological conservation.

The Building for Environmental Research and Teaching will mark the fifth and final phase of the Campus Walk Landscape project, which is a new axis of greenery that connects the north and south ends of the Campus. The existing greenhouse will be replaced with landscape and relocated to the roof.

In sync with the green mission of the new facility, building reuse significantly lowers the carbon footprint of the project. The design identifies opportunities in all aspects from envelope insulation and HVAC systems, to space planning in order to optimize energy consumption. The existing brick facade is heavily insulated on the interior and all openings utilize high performance windows. The relocation of the greenhouse to the roof converts a substantial amount of heat gain into the most appropriate research use.

Common social spaces are strategically located at the ends of the corridor, maximizing daylight penetration into the heart of the building. Chilled beams are used as much as possible to reduce active air intake and conditioning. An energy “dashboard” monitoring system will serve as both consumption verification and educational signage. The building received LEED Gold certification.

Credits:

Design Team: Toshiko Mori, Daekyung Ko, Clay Carroll, Rick Lam
Contractor: Gilbane Building Company
Structural / MEP / Lighting: Arup
Civil: Vanesse Hangen Brustlin Inc.
Surveyor: DGT Survey Group
Landscape: Todd Rader & Amy Crews Architecture and Landscape Architecture
Greenhouse Consultant: Greenhouse Engineering
Lab Consultant: SST Lab Partners

Photographs © Michael Moran