Brown University
Providence, RI
2005
5,000 sf
Goals
- Create a satellite gallery raising the on-campus profile of this world-class academic museum.
- Promote the breadth and depth of the collection, while keeping the space fully flexible for a variety of installations over time.
- Integrate with Brown's Museum Studies program, and provide the venue for the class in Exhibition Design.
- Provide a location for hosting events.
Challenges
- Work within limited space in an architecturally and historically significant building on the Campus Green.
- Balance museum-grade environmental standards with a limited budget and an old building not designed for temperature and humidity controls.
- Satisfy multiple constituents, including the campus Chaplaincy with whom the building is shared.
Design Response
- Created a simply detailed space, organized only by an entry element that creates a focus and orients the path of the visitor.
- Used the entry element to orient the visitor to the museum experience.
- Installed a "window" into the Haffenreffer, where selections from the main Museum location can be exhibited and promoted without competing with the gallery show.
- Infilled existing windows with panels that can be used to highlight content and to organize the layout of the individual exhibits.
- Worked with the Historical Society in selecting appropriate colors to repaint the historic exterior of the building.
Contractor
Shawmut Design and Construction
Consultants
SEi Companies
