fall 2021 - 8 weeks
The newly designed Providence Learning Center (PLC) is a showcase of Providence’s early history. The project is based in a historical site in the heart of Providence, where local artist Gaia painted the “Still Here” mural. The design reflects the history of providence through the display of art work, both in the interior and the exterior. The learning center features a 500 seat theater and an additional black box area. The main concept of this project is the idea of retractability and mobility. This design idea can be evident in the plaza and the terrace space, where architectural elements start to move to reshape the particular space. The Providence learning Center is meant to invite young learners and thinkers to take a step back in time to explore the history of Providence.
Starting off this project, I did a precedent study of the writer's theater glencoe, IL. The project was built in 2016 and its size is 36,000 square feet. It was designed by Studio Gang architects. The building is LEED Gold Certified in terms of its sustainability. The Theater has two performance spaces. The main stage has 250 seats, and the black box theater has a total of 99 seats. The site of the theater is between two parks, Women’s Library Club Park and Friends Park. The architects got the most use out of there materials, for example, the brick from the existing building on the site was used in the walls of the main stage. The second-floor canopy walk uses timber trusses and lighter wood lattice allowing to the walkway to hang in tension. The use of wood in this way was originally not allowed due to its fragile structure, resulting in the architects working with different companies to make the structure strong. The building is organized as a village-like cluster with distinct volumes and geometries that surround a central hub. The lobby is designed for multiple uses including community events, talks, and informal performances. The theatre interacts with its surrounding by transparent visual connections and ivy-covered backdrops. In the nighttime, the building glows from the inside out making the theater appealing, drawing the attention of the community.
*Courtesy of the writer's theater
Studio Gang’s design emphasizes the community’s daily life and allows for the building to become an energizing, region-wide cultural destination. The theater was designed to bring people together across different boundaries. Seating in large gathering spaces like the main stage were designed in clusters to allow for the audience to be broken up into different communities within the crowd. A key aspect to the design of the theater spaces is to create an intimacy between the audience and the performers. The lobby in the front of the building creates an open and well-lit space for the public to gather. The glass walls of the lobby can be opened, creating a connection between the park aside the site and nature itself. This allows the activity from inside the building to extend outward into the community around it.
