Home Economy Brown life science building in Jewelry District wins final approval

Brown life science building in Jewelry District wins final approval

Updated at 2:32 p.m.

By

Katie Castellani

-

12/19/2023

Renderings of Brown University's proposed Integrated Life Science Building, which the Providence Downtown Design Review Committee signed off on Dec. 11/Courtesy of TenBerke Architects D.P.C. — EXTERNAL RENDERING of Brown University’s proposed integrated life science building, which received final approval from the Providence Downtown Design Review Committee Dec. 11./SCREENSHOT BY TENBERKE ARCHITECTS D.P.C.

PROVIDENCE – Brown University’s proposed integrated life sciences building is on its way after the city’s Downtown Design Review Committee approved the final design on Dec. 11. The vote followed the committee’s initial approval of plans for the proposed seven story building in October and comes after the Providence City Planning Commission’s approval of Brown’s

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PROVIDENCE – Brown University’s proposed integrated life sciences building is on its way after the city’s Downtown Design Review Committee approved the final design on Dec. 11. The vote followed the committee’s initial approval of plans for the proposed seven story building in October and comes after the Providence City Planning Commission’s approval of Brown’s proposed Institutional Master Plan in September that allowed the university to pursue construction projects as long as they were done in accordance with the city’s planning process. In October, Brown also announced that Deborah Berke Partners, based in New York City, and Ballinger, a Philadelphia-based group of architects, engineers, planners and designers will partner with the university on the project. The research facility will be located on Richmond Street across from the Warren Alpert Medical School and span approximately 300,000 square feet, according to the university’s master plans. Renderings show lab space will be located on the second through seventh floor of the building with a “connective, accessible, and inviting ground floor...” including space for an education lab, forum, gallery and cafe. Additionally, the university has previously estimated the building would house lab space for approximately 76 new and existing faculty members in six program subjects and is expected to add 195 new employees to the Jewelry District. The building is also planned to include a bridge over Elbow Street that would connect the second floor of the new integrated life sciences building with the university’s existing Laboratories for Molecular Medicine at 70 Ship St. To make way for the facility, the committee also granted Brown necessary demolition waivers so it may raze the two university-owned buildings and corresponding parking lots at 233 and 261 Richmond St. Along with this, the committee granted height bonuses for the building, which is expected to stand 139 feet tall, not including the space for rooftop mechanical equipment known as the “Mechanical Penthouse” is accounted for. University spokesperson Brian Clark has previously told Providence Business News that the university estimates construction will take between three to four years to complete. Also, Brown’s online Active Projects List, which was updated Dec. 11, indicates construction could be completed in January 2027. Clark said in a statement to PBN the cost of the project is not publicly available in an effort “To preserve the ability to negotiate competitively with potential project partners.” Clark added the university does not usually share project costs publicly and the “limited instances” when the university does share these details occur only when the project is completed. (Update: Comment from Clark about cost of project added in 7th paragraph.) Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.