In the News

It's hard not to drive or walk down Angell Street in Providence and not notice Brown University's new Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts. The glass and metal building looks like an invisible hand is crushing it from the top down.

Boston-based Shawmut Design and Construction built the unique-looking building and had to tackle some unique design challenges along the way. Shawmut Vice President Ron Simoneau recently took some time to discuss the project with Providence Business News.

PBN: Can you tell us a little about the role of Shawmut Design and Construction in building the Brown University's Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts? Did you design the building as well as build it?

SIMONEAU: No, the building was designed by the renowned architects Diller, Scofidio and Renfro out of New York City. Shawmut was the construction manager and builder for the project. We were hired very early in the design process to work with Brown University and DSR to collaborate in the planning, design, cost estimating and scheduling of the project. 

As the design phase transitioned into the construction phase, we validated the final construction cost and schedule, hired all of the trade subcontractors, and managed the building process to meet Brown University's expectations in terms of quality, cost and schedule.

PBN: This is a unique looking building. I can only imagine that it involved some unique construction challenges. Can you talk about those?

SIMONEAU: This building is definitely one of a kind with several unique characteristics including the "living room" stairs; off-set floor plates; the acoustical glass cleave wall; post-tensioned concrete construction; highly advanced audio visual systems; and the striking, three-dimensional zinc cladding.

In fact, the exterior envelope package, which represented almost 25 percent of the entire building cost, was so technical in nature that Shawmut brought the subcontractor on board early in a "design assist" capacity to collaborate with the design team. By working alongside the design team, we were able to maximize the use of conventional components in a non-conventional way to achieve a highly customized look while maintaining budget.

The offset floor plates, glass walls and exposed structural finishes created another challenge in terms of getting electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection systems from one side of the building to the other while remaining predominantly concealed. To achieve this very complicated coordination phase the team utilized Building Information Modeling. This process utilizes three-dimensional computer graphics to coordinate and layout all of the building's infrastructure and systems far in advance of the building being constructed. It would have been virtually impossible to effectively coordinate this building without this tool.

PBN: I understand that the building is five stories, but when you get in the elevator, there are 10 stops. Why? And how do the stairs work?

SIMONEAU: Diller Scofidio and Renfro's design essentially cuts the building in half and offsets each opposing floor slab at half-story intervals. There is an acoustical glass partition that extends the entire height of the building at this location that allows the students to see what is happening in the adjacent spaces above and below them. It is an incredibly interactive and visually stunning space but as a result, the elevator requires both a north and south stop at every floor.

The main stair, which is referred to as the "living room stair" interconnects the offset floors with oversized stair landings fitted out with audio visual projectors and furniture that serve as breakout rooms within the full height atrium through a series of interconnecting open grated walkways.

PBN: Shawmut has a long history with working with Brown University. Did that relationship help speed along the Granoff Center?

SIMONEAU: Definitely. Shawmut's track record for delivering projects on time and on budget over the past 12 years combined with our knowledge and understanding of Brown University's design standards and operational policies definitely helped drive this incredibly complex project to a successful completion.

PBN: So what's next for Shawmut at Brown? 

SIMONEAU: Shawmut is currently involved in the design and construction of a new building and quadrangle at the Ericson Athletic Complex located on Hope Street. This new 91,000-square-foot building will include a three-story fitness center, a 50-meter competition pool, and varsity strength and conditioning facility. This project is being delivered under a design-build arrangement with the renowned Robert AM Stern Architects out of New York City. 

This building will also be visually stunning when completed but in contrast to the modernism of the Creative Arts Center, this building is very traditional in design with exquisite masonry detailing.

This article was originally published online on March 4, 2011, and written by Chris Barrett of Providence Business News.