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Sofia Massu
Rhode Island State House Cultural Center
Standing in what used to be the cove, the Rhode Island State House has been isolated from the city by dividing elements of the urban fabric in Providence. To help overcome this physical isolation from its surrounding urban context, I propose to weave into it a State House Cultural Center that is active year-round and dedicated in three main areas to the arts, theater, and education, and will attract Rhode Islanders to use the “House of the People,” returning some of the role that the cove used to play in Providence’s social life as a gathering location.
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Master Plan
Located in the sub-basement and part of the basement, it stretches along the east-west axis and extends the State House’s boundaries in both directions.
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Sub Basement Plan
Its centerpiece is a theater/music hall in the eastern wing whose stage can open to an outside lawn during the summer months to reach additional segments of the public during performances.
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Basement Plan
Spaces for a permanent collection of art, temporary exhibitions, and performances, as well as an archive and education spaces, will occupy the central and western parts of the basement.
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Sections
To the west, stone paving extends across the sunken courtyard, through a wide passage under Francis Street, into a new sunken courtyard with a restaurant as an anchor. A wide flank of stairs links it to the plaza fronting the Veterans Memorial Auditorium and the Renaissance Hotel, thus linking them to the State House Cultural Center. Arcades along the northern edge of the new sunken courtyard and along the western and northern edge of the existing sunken courtyard front offices for nonprofit organizations and government needs. Two well-lighted glass entry pavilions to the theater and exhibition wings flanking the monumental stair approach to the State House announce palpably the presence of The State House Cultural Center to the public.
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Outdoor theater view
2022
The theater can be open to the exterior for outdoor performances that will allow people to enjoy the State House all year round and connect the inside of the building to its surroundings.
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Archive and Educational Area View
The archive and educational area located on the west axis of the building is a triple-height space that allows an open view of the activities happening here. With meeting/study rooms open for the public to use prior reservation and open study areas where the public can enjoy the historical documents that the archive stores.
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Exterior View
The connecting paths coming from the Providence train station approach the building through terraces that respond to the existing topography and the programs of surrounding buildings, creating different instances along the way in which visitors can appreciate the State House in the background in the distance.
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Gallery View
The central part of the basement of the building was opened, leaving only the structural elements as a support for the different art exhibitions that are housed there. The cultural center includes an area dedicated to the permanent collection of the State House and others for itinerary exhibitions that ensure a constant visit to the place but at the same time the excitement of revisiting something new.
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RESTAURANT SUNKEN COURTYARD VIEW
On the west axis, the program extends with an open plaza of restaurants that connect directly with The Vets theater located across the street. Spectators will be able to attend before or after a performance to gather here, extending the hours of operation and activity around the State House.
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Restaurant View
The front area of the subbasement is intended for commercial use that complements the main activities of the program. Souvenir shops and restaurants allow you to make this visit entertaining for a whole day. In the image, we see how the restaurant makes its way through the existing structure of the building.
- Architecture
- Ceramics
- Design Engineering
- Digital + Media
- Furniture Design
- Global Arts and Cultures
- Glass
- Graphic Design
- Industrial Design
- Interior Architecture
- Jewelry + Metalsmithing
- Landscape Architecture
- Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- TLAD
- Textiles
