Roger Williams Redux
After the construction of the BTGA designed Roger Williams University School of Engineering, Computing, and Construction Management building (SECCM) Richard L. Bready Applied Learning Laboratories, the University asked BTGA to help transform the original 1966 SECCM building into modern active learning labs.
The first phase of this transformation is now open for fall classes. Dark and dreary spaces have been opened up to allow for new active learning environments. The old concrete block corridors have been replaced with glass walls allowing the classes to be part of the circulation spaces. A new sequence through the building corridors has been activated to engage and inspire students, and to provide connections between the building spaces for interactive events, open houses, and other activities.
The video above shows one of the design options presented to the University for the main hallway that leads to these labs. The design of the public spaces provided the opportunity to display the RWU brand, to create a showpiece for the University during open houses, and to allow the University to display student work.
The newly renovated design lab and physics classrooms were designed to be open, flexible and provide power and equipment where needed. The walls and desks are marker board surfaces allowing for creativity to happen where it happens. The furniture is on wheels and can easily be moved for large experiments, projects, or demonstrations. An operable partition between the two active classrooms allows for these rooms to become a very large space for special programs and events. Interior glazed partitions, which form the hallway, create an open atmosphere in the classrooms, and back-to-back digital screens within the partitions offer classroom functionality as well as a platform for displaying student work.
This first phase provides state-of-the-art labs and a captivating spatial experience for students and visitors alike. The building is being renovated in phases, so stay tuned for more to come!
