Fleet Library at RISD

The strategy for the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) library engages three distinct architectural disciplines: intervention, preservation, and engineering. Given the impossibility of fitting the new program in the existing square footage, two new pavilions housing key programmatic components were positioned within the barrel vaulted void of the main hall, enabling the addition of new study spaces, a reading room, and a circulation island. The inserted objects not only house these programs, but make use of every surface and pocket of space to maximize their functionality. Conceived as temporary installations, the seating pavilion and the circulation island were designed as colossal pieces of furniture, which enhance the composition, character, and strength of the existing hall, without mimicking or trying to copy its architecture.