Applied Mathematics Building, Brown University

About this Property

#Proposal

This lot had been vacant since 1962, from what we have seen in aerial photos. In 1962 there is a house in the middle of the block and Manning Street still runs from Brook to Hope Street. Prince Engineering Laboratory (1962, Sherwood, Mills and Smith) was in place but the larger Barus & Holley Hall (1963–1965, Sherwood, Mills and Smith)¹ was not yet built. The parking lot on the corner of George and Hope street remained undeveloped until 2014 when ground broke on this building.

Not much made the news about this building, as it was a small and modest development that didn’t require the removal of a historic structure.

#Design Reception

The building is small compared to the much larger, seven story Barus & Holley Hall. It fits the corner lot nicely and helps transition from institutional to residential massing. From the architect’s website they say:

This high-performance building envelope and efficient mechanical systems performs 25% better than energy code. Delivered as design/build, it was completed in 16 months from design kickoff to user occupancy. The project is certified LEED Gold. — ARO, Architecture Research Office

The building’s design and construction won a Merit Award in 2017 from AIA Rhode Island.

#In the News

Commerce/consumer Digest

[…] Construction is under way in Providence on a new building for Brown University’s division of applied mathematics that is scheduled for completion in December 2015.

The new three-story, 13,000-square-foot structure at Hope and George streets includes offices for faculty, students, and staff and makes way for the expansion of the School of Engineering. […]

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“Commerce/consumer Digest.” Providence Journal (RI), 1 ed., sec. News, 19 Nov. 2014, p. MAIN_06. NewsBank: America’s News, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/15241C82934D2598. Accessed 15 Oct. 2022.