TenBerke has finished work on its two-hall dormitory project for Brown University. 

The Brook Street Residence Halls project is part of the university’s plan to expand its on-campus housing offerings and was completed using a hybrid steel and cross-laminated timber structure. Brown says their realization creates an important new connection to the east side's Fox Point neighborhood, adding to its capacity to interface with the community of Providence while likewise maintaining its holistic sustainability strategy.

“We set out to create a project that truly feels accessible in terms of how the buildings meet the ground. That means entries that are visible, a relationship to the street, a layering of landscape and plantings adjacent to the sidewalk, a nice tree canopy — design aspects that create a sense of vitality and activity that are appropriate to the neighborhood and the University,” Noah Biklen, the project’s lead and a Senior Principal at TenBerke described in a statement.

Cast in brick, wood, and terracotta with repeated pitched roofs across the volumes in context with the city’s local character, the dorms offer their student residents an outward-facing living accommodation with breakout spaces for socialization and quiet study placed strategically throughout. 

Biklen explains: “On the interior, we deliberately designed spaces that are open-ended and invite use — light-filled places where people can feel a sense of ownership. That means spaces that are durable, reconfigurable, and hold up even as they get messy. This approach promotes a sense of belonging that is so important to forming community on campuses today.”

The project’s all-electric credentials help further Brown’s goals of becoming a completely net-zero campus by 2040. A total of 353 beds are included in the 125,000-square-foot design, helping reduce the need for off-campus apartment rentals by 30%. 

TenBerke is also leading a separate project with Ballinger that will create a new Integrated Life Sciences Building in Providence's Jewelry District for 2025.