Cambridge, MA – Tsoi/Kobus & Associates (TK& A) is pleased to announce that its design of the Cuisinart Center for Culinary Excellence at Johnson & Wales University’ s Harborside campus in Providence, RI has received LEED® Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
The 82,000-square-foot Cuisinart Center, a state-of-the-art facility supporting 30 teaching labs and classrooms, includes kitchen labs for food ranging from charcuterie to chocolate, wine, micro-brewing, and mixology labs, various types of instructional facilities, administrative offices, and three distinctive dining rooms. “ We worked closely with our clients at Johnson & Wales University to ensure that this building would advance their comprehensive, leading-edge culinary curriculum while also setting the tone for future development on the Harborside campus,” says Rick Kobus, co-founder and senior principal of Tsoi/Kobus & Associates “ It was essential to all of us that the Cuisinart Center be a thoroughly
sustainable and environmentally-sensitive addition to its coastal setting. We set the bar high and are pleased to receive this recognition from the USGBC.” Sustainable features include expanding green space on-site by more than 50%,
dramatically reducing runoff into Narragansett Bay and reducing the heat island effect; providing natural light and views to the exterior for all spaces within the building; incorporating lighting and hood controls that reduce energy consumption; capturing roof rainwater for re-use within the building to flush toilets and provide minimal site irrigation to native plantings; and using low-flow plumbing fixtures and low-VOC interior finishes throughout. During the build phase, more than 90% of construction waste was diverted from landfills, including asphalt from a large parking lot, which was ground up and re-used.