© 2024

Visual + Material Resource Center




From what used to be the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Building, the Visual + Material Resource Center serves as a hidden gem on the Rhode Island School of Design campus. The center often gets overshadowed by the Fleet Library and remains unknown to many students, leaving the space rather vacant throughout the day. That being, this intervention takes focus in shedding light upon RISD’s extended resources offered in the space, and harboring a space that would be of students’ interests. Be it materials collection, picture collection, slide collection, and the digital image collection, the center honors variety, knowledge, and curation, all in which is reflected upon the new space. Given that the space houses a conglomeration of materials and objects, the materials and design of the space was chosen to accommodate and respect the program. Alongside the diverse array of materials, the space was designed to be a conducive study environment, digitalization/photo lab, and an exhibition suite that also serves as a lecture/classroom space. As an art institute, RISD and its resources, including the Visual + Material Resource Center, strives to serve spaces and facilities that induce curiosity and  knowledge upon students.




15 Westminster St. Providence, RI 02903
Higher Education Design
2020




















MATERIAL STUDY


SILKGLAS®
Light diffusing float glass
E3-09

Galaxy Glass, Inc. (manufacturer)

Ceramic - Glass
Mineral - Gnthropogenic
Mineral - Geogenic

Stain resistant
Light diffusing

Silkglas are sandblasted and acid washed light diffusing float glass panels, which can be custom designed for lighting and architectural applications. The acid wash process complies with the Japanese Environmental Protection Standards. The treated glass can be drilled, tempered, engraved, and laminated.






DURAT
Solid polyester surface
B1-128

Durat design by Tonester Oy Ltd (manufacturer)

Polymer- Thermoplastic

Chemical resistant (acid and alkaline)
Stain resistant
Waterproof
Humidity-Proof

Durat is a solid polymer surface material. The speckles are from recycled post-industrial polyester and make up 30% of the material. Durat is 100% recyclable and comes in 64 standard colors with the option for custom tinting. Standard sheet size is 2900mm x 800mm x 12mm.








WHITE OAK
Quercus Alba
A1.904

Eastern United States

Biocomposite - Plant - Wood

Furniture/Flooring

Rot-resistant
Easy-to-work
Economical
Sustainable

White Oak is a light to medium brown wood, commonly with an olive cast. They are highly sustainable as they are replaceable and fast-growing species. Its grain is straight with a coarse and uneven texture.





                                                                             




FEATURED: GLIDA


A storage solution.

With over 41,000 material samples allocated to 15 categories available at the center, GLIDA was designed specifically for the use of storing material samples. These samples are catalogued according to various properties, such as acoustical, absorbent, reflective, water-resistance, sustainable, biodegradable, etc. GLIDA aims to ease students' visitation to the collection through easy-sliding slots that each display a material with random hinged cabinets to accommodate materials of all shapes. The storage finishes off with the outer sliding panel made out of the main material of the sliding slots behind. This enables easier navigation and categorization of the materials the Visual + Material Resource Center has to offer.