Designed by Pritzker-Prize winning
architect Rafael Moneo to fit on a site bordered on three sides by
historic buildings (shown in these views), The Chace Center is the only
contemporary example of a building by an architect of this stature and
international prominence in Providence. The building features a façade
that includes both clear and acid-etched glass complemented by red
brick. The horizontal courses of glass are accentuated by aluminum fins
at the corners of the building, giving the glass upward motion. The
placement of the windows on the North face is composed in a
Mondrian-like effect that distinguishes each floor through their
shifting pattern. The low iron, “water clear” glass is backed by a
mirrored surface and acid etched on the outer face to give it a silvery
look. Built in coves, the clear glass windows bisect floors at
interesting heights and depths, creating both unusual views into
galleries and out to the surrounding city streets. UV-shielding gallery
windows allow the use of natural light while still protecting artwork.
The horizontal band of brick, monolithic in tone due to the
matching-colored mortar, appears to both anchor the building and float
between the plate glass of the store front below and the mercurial
glass façade above. The brick references traditional materials of the
Providence city-scape, yet is distinguished from them by intense color.
WARREN JAGGER PHOTOGRAPHY, 2008/COURTESY OF RISD MUSEUM OF ART
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