Portsmouth Abbey School Student Center
LOCATION
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
CLIENT
Portsmouth Abbey School
TYPE
Education | Student Center | New Construction
AWARDS
2025
AIA New England Honor Award
AIA Rhode Island Design Award
Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award
Architectural Record Award - Honorable Mention
Archello Award - Longlisted
North American Copper in Architecture Award, The Copper Development Association
PLAN Award, Finalist
Society of American Registered Architects-National Design Award
Society of American Registered Architects-New York Honor Award
2024
2024 AIA New Jersey Honor Award
Conceived as ‘a student porch’ to gaze out onto the world, the new student center at Portsmouth Abbey School overlooks Narragansett Bay and reinterprets the iconic architectural language of the original Pietro Belluschi-designed campus while providing sustainable solutions to its siting.
A timber framed glass-enclosed commons recalls the exposed wood structures of the historic campus and a copper brise soleil above references the distinctive copper rooftops of surrounding buildings while controlling heat gain and solar glare.
Extending beyond the commons is an outdoor terrace and amphitheater covered by a perforated aluminum pergola. The pergola’s broad reach mirrors the deep roof overhangs of adjacent buildings, allowing the student center to sit comfortably amongst its neighbors.
Matt Walter
Head of School
Portsmouth Abbey School
