This week we toured South Street Landing with RISD Interior Architecture (INTAR) students, bringing classroom concepts into a real-world example of adaptive reuse and building performance. Lead by Amanda Harding, and Chloe Castaneda, this tour connected students directly with the systems and strategies that drive high-performance buildings.
Once a historic power station on the Providence waterfront, South Street Landing is now a high-performance academic and office facility, demonstrating how existing buildings can be transformed to meet modern energy, comfort, and operational goals.
This project is especially meaningful to our team—Stephen Turner Inc. provided commissioning services from 2016–2019, helping ensure that building systems were installed, tested, and optimized to perform as intended.
During the tour, students explored:
- How historic structures can be adapted into high-performing buildings
- The integration of modern mechanical systems within an existing envelope
- Real-world challenges encountered during construction
This experience reinforced a key message we emphasize in our teaching and practice: design intent only becomes meaningful when it translates into measurable performance.
At Stephen Turner Inc., we believe in bridging the gap between design, construction, and operations. Engaging with RISD students is part of our broader mission to support the next generation of designers and thinkers. Stephen Turner and Jing Wu have been advising RISD INTAR graduate students on their thesis work since 2012, helping them understand buildings not just as spaces, but as dynamic systems that impact people, energy use, and the environment.
We’re grateful to RISD and the students for their curiosity and engagement, and we look forward to continuing to support hands-on learning opportunities that bring building performance to life.
Click to learn more about the South Street Landing Project Here +
