The Lincoln Field Building project revitalizes an iconic 1903 brick and heavy timber building on Brown University’s Simmons Quad and provides state-of-the-art mission operations, research lab, teaching, office, collaboration and display spaces to support the current and future demands of Brown’s growing Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS).
The design provides key life safety and accessibility upgrades with the strategic insertion of a new core (elevator, stair, restrooms) and advances Brown’s sustainability initiatives (plus improved occupant comfort) with new efficient building systems and higher performance windows. The building envelope is generally in good shape and needs only limited work: a few step cracks present in the masonry will be repointed and the exterior fire escapes will be removed, including repair of the damaged masonry at its brackets.
Spaces are reorganized to facilitate workflows between labs and offices, better accommodate public events and simplify wayfinding to support dynamic DEEPS programs for students, faculty and visitors. The ground floor hosts a central lobby that doubles as a gallery to showcase current and past work, the main teaching and meeting spaces (large classroom, Planetary Data Center, seminar room, conference room) and the administrative area. The secure upper floors are designed as a central bay of lab spaces with offices on both sides, with an additional lab and conference room along the building perimeter as exceptions to this organization. Alcoves are created in the corridors for communal spaces of collaboration, display and a kitchenette.
Date: Sept, 2019 – July, 2022
Status: Construction Completed July, 2022
Client: Brown University / Shawmut Construction
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
KVA Design Team
Sheila Kennedy FAIA, Design Principal
Frano Violich FAIA, Managing Principal
Ned Goodell AIA, Project Manager
Daniel Sebaldt AIA, Project Architect
Ben Widger AIA, Nick Johnson, Kevin Marblestone, Lynced Torres, Toshiki Niimi
KVA Design Consultants
Structural Engineer: Odeh Engineers
Lighting Design: Tillotson Design Associates
Acoustics: Cavanaugh Tocci Associates
Code/Accessibility: Jensen Hughes
GeoTechnical: GZA Environmental
MEP Design Consultation: Buro Happold
Energy Modeler: Andelman & Lelek Engineering
Shawmut/Brown Design Team
General Contractor: Shawmut Construction
HVAC Engineering: ESI
Electrical Engineering: PEC
Plumbing Engineering: GEM
Door Hardware: Columbus Door
Security: Siemens Industries
Audiovisual Design: Shanix (Brown)
Furniture: Creative Office Resources(Brown)
Project Commissioning: Stephen Turner (Brown)
Photographer: Warren Jagger