Newpport, RI – AIA Rhode Island honored Northeast Collaborative Architects (NCA) with design awards for the Interlink, Warwick, R.I. and Fort Adams Redoubt Jail, Newport, R.I. The annual competition celebrates outstanding works of architecture from Rhode Island architects and honors the project teams and clients who work with them.
Glenn R. Gardiner, AIA, LEED AP says, “NCA is honored to receive the AIA-RI awards. Interlink is the Northeast’s first intermodal transportation center connecting air travelers with trains, buses, passengers and rental car transportation. And Fort Adams Redoubt Jail promotes historic preservation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings as the ultimate recycling.”“NCA advocates sustainable building practices and believes that good design and site planning inherently minimize and eliminate negative impacts on the environment while seeking the best solutions to balance environmental concerns with aesthetics and efficiency,” adds John Grosvenor, AIA. “We encourage the implementation of energy conscious design with all our projects.”
Interlink earned the 2012 Merit Award in the Commercial and Industrial category. Interlink positions Rhode Island as a leader in sustainable development by expanding public transportation, fueling economic recovery and offering future development opportunities, placing T.F. Green Airport among the top airports in New England’s highly competitive market.
Rhode Island Airport Corporation and Rhode Island Department of Transportation directed the program and oversaw construction of this $267 million project. The multi-tiered collaborative effort revitalizes a blighted airport parcel and features a dynamic elevated glass- enclosed Skywalk that rises 35 feet above the ground and spans a quarter-mile. Passengers arriving at T.F. Green Airport enjoy an unimpeded six-minute connection to the train station, rental car facility, and parking garage on moving walkways that transport travelers 100 feet per minute.
The 25,000 square foot Circulation Hub and Bridge connects the airports to the train station via the new Skywalk. The Terminal End Bridge spans two levels of arriving and departing traffic, thereby creating new gateway to the airport. Interlink’s exterior design references the convergence of air and rail transportation. The interior design articulates the motion of ocean and air currents. Like wind and waves, horizontal bands of glass vary in color, size and intensity to evoke a serene environment.
Sculptured ceilings and colorful rubber flooring echo the motion by undulation in long flowing forms throughout Interlink’s expanse. Contrasting colors indicative of daybreak and dusk punctuate the ceiling with bold hues. A vertical butt-glazed curtain wall system provides panoramic views of airplanes landing and taking off. The transparent green façade mirrors the original airport terminal making a thematic change from green to blue glazing as it reaches the new rental car garage and train station. The skywalk’s stair tower or knuckle acts as a transition point between airplane and train and the Terminal End Bridge’s stair lowers recalls Rhode Island’s sailing heritage.
Constructed between 1824 and 1856, Fort Adams is a National Historic Landmark and one of the largest coastal fortifications in the country. Working as the architects for the Fort Adams Trust, NCA has orchestrated more than six million dollars of restoration and rehabilitation work including site and safety improvements, interpretive facilities and the restoration of the earthen ramparts, green roof, north casements, youth barracks and redoubt jail.
Fort Adams Redoubt Jail was awarded the 2012 Merit Award in the Historic Preservation category. The restoration project is among the first State owned historic properties designed to meet United States Green Building Council’s LEED standards. The original single-story, masonry structure was constructed in 1845 and a guard room was constructed in 1869. A wooden second story was constructed in 1880 to provide more cells and offices. A storm demolished this level around 1945.
The redoubt jail sat abandoned near the East Gate and main parking area and all tours passed by it in its derelict condition. Unused for over 50 years, Fort Adams Trust and NCA envisioned a building that could be a restored jewel announcing the resurgence of Fort Adams. The second story addition was restored based on historic photographs and plans, with that story becoming Fort Adams Trust’s administrative offices. The jail on the first floor is used as a museum, while the guard room is now an assembly/education space. Sustainable Design elements include native and low-maintenance landscaping, double-paned, low-E energy efficiencient windows, propane-fueled, radiant floor heating and low-emitting adhesives, sealants, paints and coatings.
NCA’s work at Fort Adams also earned the Doris Duke Historic Preservation Award, AIA/RI Honor Award, RI Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission Preservation Award, Newport Historical Society Preservation Award, 2004 Preserve Rhode Island Design Award, and Preserve Rhode Island Merit Award.