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Description:

The School of Social Work is an expanding presence at Rhode Island College that has grown to offer Bachelor and Master of Social Work degrees to over 375 students. The existing building included a derelict central exterior courtyard and a partial basement, providing approximately 24,000 square feet of enclosed space. KITE chose to work entirely within the existing building, utilizing existing partitions wherever possible to conserve construction funds in a constrained budget. The defining feature of the Project is the central lobby, created by enclosing the existing courtyard with a new glazed shed roof. This "found space" provides gathering place for faculty and students that fosters a sense of community and encourages spontaneous socializing and unprogrammed learning opportunities.

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Description:

Alger Hall, a circa 1960's modern building, is centrally located on the campus and was identified by the college as an ideal location for the growing School of Management and Technology. KITE reclad the structure and designed additions on the east and west ends of the building that engage significant places along the central campus road and student walkway. The west addition utilizes advanced glass coatings to control solar heat gain and provide visual privacy to the student and faculty lounges within. An innovative, prefabricated GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete) wall system was developed in collaboration with industry leaders to suit the specific cost, schedule, and aesthetic concerns, while satisfying the structural and thermal performance requirements.

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Description:

Crossroads RI, a rapidly growing social service agency, acquired a large underutilized downtown YMCA and challenged KITE to re-identify this dilapidated landmark structure and treat the clientele with the architectural respect and dignity that will lead them back to self-sufficiency and ultimately contributing membership in the community. Previous significant alterations to exterior features and interior spaces increased the potential both to create a new image for the building and to accommodate an ambitious program. Newly created spaces provide education, counseling, and health services for clients, office and support space for staff and volunteers, and rental apartments for disadvantaged persons. KITE's design orchestrates the space into rational and accessible, yet separated areas that allow families, adolescents, and adults to receive program-specific services without potentially dangerous overlaps or unnecessary feeling of compartmentalization. Color and material are employed to de-emphasize those spaces' institutional qualities.

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Description:

Six townhouses occupy and urban site at the edge of Providence's prestigious historic district: College Hill. Bounded by Pratt and Olney Street, the site rises 20 feet from the northwest corner to the southwest corner. The small footprint of the site proved the challenging. Each 2,000 SF townhouse has three levels of living space. The first floor is a large open space with a fireplace and a kitchen area separated by a counter/breakfast area. An open stair to the upper floors provides a vertical accent that culminates in a skylight three stories above. The second floor features the master bedroom suite and a guestroom with a guest bathroom. The third floor is a flexible space. The large room could serve as study, library, and entertainment center or as an additional bedroom. Terraces on both the east and west sides provide gracious living and spectacular view of the city.

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Description:

This house is located on a narrow strip of land sandwiched between a road and the shoreline in an area prone to flooding (a fish shack formerly located on the site had ended up across the road several times after hurricanes). Open rooms are located on the waterview side. Passages, utility, bath and other serving uses are located on the street side. The end result is a small, efficient, low maintenance cottage of 1440 square feet with two bedrooms and a main hall for living. It's an expanded version of the previous fishing shack, a stark contrast to the large, aggrandized houses in this once humble neighborhood.

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Description:

Only a high, irregular shaped sliver of this private seven acre parcel was buildable. We created a cluster of small buildings linked with a wall of local granite to enclose sheltered courtyards and define a small manicured yard. Simple, modern interiors frame views of the ocean to the south and to protected wetlands to the east and west.

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Description:

The School of Social Work is an expanding presence at Rhode Island College that has grown to offer Bachelor and Master of Social Work degrees to over 375 students. The existing building included a derelict central exterior courtyard and a partial basement, providing approximately 24,000 square feet of enclosed space. KITE chose to work entirely within the existing building, utilizing existing partitions wherever possible to conserve construction funds in a constrained budget. The defining feature of the Project is the central lobby, created by enclosing the existing courtyard with a new glazed shed roof. This "found space" provides gathering place for faculty and students that fosters a sense of community and encourages spontaneous socializing and unprogrammed learning opportunities.

Click for Gallery

Description:

Alger Hall, a circa 1960's modern building, is centrally located on the campus and was identified by the college as an ideal location for the growing School of Management and Technology. KITE reclad the structure and designed additions on the east and west ends of the building that engage significant places along the central campus road and student walkway. The west addition utilizes advanced glass coatings to control solar heat gain and provide visual privacy to the student and faculty lounges within. An innovative, prefabricated GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete) wall system was developed in collaboration with industry leaders to suit the specific cost, schedule, and aesthetic concerns, while satisfying the structural and thermal performance requirements.

Click for Gallery

Description:

Crossroads RI, a rapidly growing social service agency, acquired a large underutilized downtown YMCA and challenged KITE to re-identify this dilapidated landmark structure and treat the clientele with the architectural respect and dignity that will lead them back to self-sufficiency and ultimately contributing membership in the community. Previous significant alterations to exterior features and interior spaces increased the potential both to create a new image for the building and to accommodate an ambitious program. Newly created spaces provide education, counseling, and health services for clients, office and support space for staff and volunteers, and rental apartments for disadvantaged persons. KITE's design orchestrates the space into rational and accessible, yet separated areas that allow families, adolescents, and adults to receive program-specific services without potentially dangerous overlaps or unnecessary feeling of compartmentalization. Color and material are employed to de-emphasize those spaces' institutional qualities.

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Description:

The Peerless Building, a former historic department store that occupied nearly an entire city block, began its life in 1866 as a small dry-goods shop. Subsequent building campaigns in 1873, 1877, 1889, 1897, 1903 and 1906 resulted in a complex of seven buildings that were knitted together to form one large department store. By 1993 a rock club had moved into the first floor and the six upper floors were largely vacant. The project involved converting this 230,000 sf former department store into 97 loft apartments surrounding a 7-story atrium with retail and office space on the first floor and a 68 car parking garage in the in the basement. An all-season garden room, a roof garden and a terrace were added to the roof of the building that creates a unique place from which one can view and truly appreciate the building's urban setting.

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Description:

This remarkable building had been subjected to weathering and excessive moisture for over 100 years, and its condition reflected this extensive exposure to inclement conditions. The deterioration of the exterior envelope, along with damage to the historic fabric, had become a direct threat to the long-term survival of the structure. Local landowners and farmers donated cobblestones from their property for the town hall development, literally weaving the fabric of their community into the structure. This is displayed by numerous artistic arrangements and engraved names and dates, and has uniquely created Barrington Town Hall into a virtual raconteur of 19th century Barrington.