The Ruane Friar Development Center is a transformative addition to the Providence College campus, elevating Friar athletics, student services, and campus life. Designed by Perkins Eastman and made possible through a generous gift from Michael A. Ruane ’71 & ’13 Hon. and his wife, Elizabeth, the new facility reinforces the College’s national athletic presence.

Phase I focused on men’s basketball, including a state-of-the-art training center, athlete support services, offices, a new Friar Athletics Hall of Fame, and a dining area. The center supports academic achievement, team-building, skills development, conditioning, and overall wellness.

Photography:  © Andrew Rugge,  © Sarah Mechling. Courtesy Perkins Eastman.

Best in Sports/Entertainment

Merit Award

The Joanne Chouinard-Luth Recreation and Wellness Center, known on campus as “The Jo,” is a state-of-the-art facility that supports student health, wellness, and recreation at the College of the Holy Cross. Designed by CannonDesign, the three-story center replaces the former Field House and houses intramural, club sports, and fitness programs.

The building features a two-court gymnasium, weight and cardio areas, a golf simulator, multipurpose studios for yoga and cycling, and a one-tenth-mile suspended jogging track. The lower level includes an expanded Public Safety office, reinforcing the facility’s broader role on campus.

From upgraded fitness spaces to all-healthy vending options, “The Jo” reflects the College’s commitment to holistic student life.

Photography: © 2021 | Richard Mandelkorn Photography

The Providence College Men’s Basketball Locker Room at the AMP has undergone a comprehensive renovation, updating the space significantly. Last updated in 2008, the locker room now features custom lockers, new tiled showers, and updated lavatories. It also includes a separate coaches’ locker room with matching custom lockers. Additionally, a new Sports Medicine room has been added to support athlete health and recovery. Designed by CannonDesign, this renovation enhances the team’s facilities with modern finishes and improved functionality

Photography: © Aaron Usher Photography

The construction of the Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering delivers a modern, integrated facility for the University of Rhode Island’s College of Engineering. The new H-shaped building replaces five older structures and features a walk-out lower level, a six-story bridge structure, and two office wings ranging from two to four stories.

The first floor includes an extensive south-facing commons with a clear-span café area designed without columns, creating an open and inviting space. This level also hosts instructional labs and interactive classrooms directly connecting to student collaboration zones. Upper floors accommodate flexible, modular laboratories near faculty offices and graduate workstations to promote research and academic engagement.

Adjacent to the new center, the renovation of Bliss Hall complements the campus environment by supporting further collaboration and interaction among students and faculty.

Photography: James Ewing / JBSA

The Yale Science Building brings a state-of-the-art research and teaching facility to the heart of Science Hill, replacing the former J.W. Gibbs Laboratory. The seven-level structure integrates advanced laboratories, academic spaces, and shared environments to promote interdisciplinary collaboration.

Program highlights include a rooftop greenhouse, aquatics and BSL-3 insect labs, a quantitative biology center, high-resolution imaging suites, innovative physics labs, and a 500-seat lecture hall. Research efforts span plant evolution, disease vectors, and atomic-scale physics, unified under a vision for cross-disciplinary discovery.

A design-assist phase enabled early collaboration with trade partners to strengthen constructability and project coordination. The team navigated multiple design iterations, impact studies, and complex site conditions to realize an ambitious program on an accelerated schedule.

Designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, the building reflects the university’s commitment to sustainability and leadership in scientific innovation.

Photography: © Jeff Goldberg/Esto. All rights reserved.

Higher Education/Research – Merit Award

Large New Construction

The Science 1 Research Center established a new benchmark for sustainable campus development. Completed as part of the University’s Northwest Science Quad, the project brings together advanced research facilities, resilient infrastructure, and a landscape rooted in ecological restoration.

The site features a woodland corridor planted with native trees and pollinator-attracting species, forming a walkable connection through a certified Low Impact Development landscape. Bioretention areas, vegetated swales, porous pavements, and subsurface infiltration systems manage stormwater while enhancing pedestrian access and campus biodiversity.

The project team—BVH, Towers|Golde, and Payette—collaborated closely to align architectural, civil, and environmental systems across 13 acres. The result is a fully integrated academic environment that supports the University’s sustainability goals while enriching the daily experience of students, researchers, and visitors. Interpretive signage throughout the site highlights key strategies that advance the health of the Eagleville Brook watershed.

Certified LEED Gold and recognized with a 2024 AIA Education Facility Design Award, the Science 1 Research Center exemplifies the intersection of high-performance design, academic purpose, and environmental stewardship.

Education Facility Design Award

Honor Award

Shanley Hall is a six-story residence facility that brings modern student housing to the heart of Providence College’s campus. Built to accommodate 350 students, primarily sophomores, the building features 82 suites with double rooms and shared baths, study spaces, a communal kitchen, and expansive windows offering views of campus and the Providence skyline.

Constructed using a Girder Slab system with 8-inch hollow core planks, Shanley Hall is the largest residence hall and campus building, combining scale with efficient delivery and long-term durability.

This new residence hall on the Brandeis University campus marks the first phase of a three-phased housing initiative aimed at improving student life through new construction, major renovations, and the strategic removal of aging facilities. 

The five-level structure is built with cold-formed metal framing and CLT deck construction. The residence hall serves as a model of sustainable construction, designed to Passive House standards with all-electric systems for energy efficiency. The building will also provide extensive outdoor gathering areas and campus activity spaces. The exterior will showcase a dynamic blend of facade treatments, including curtainwall, triple-glazed punched windows, and fiber-reinforced panels. Additional features include air conditioning, full accessibility, 14 community kitchens and lounges, gender-neutral and single-occupancy restrooms, an exercise room, a multi-purpose social space for up to 150 people, outdoor bike shelters, and sustainably landscaped terraces and gardens.

The building is designed to foster connection and community. It will be divided into 14 residential “neighborhoods” each housing about 50 students, with a mix of single and double bedrooms, lounges, and kitchens.