CAMPUS PLANNING - Roger Williams University

2002-2003 RWU Presidential Fellowship Report: Campus Planning
alternatives. If we want to move parking out of the center
of the campus we must make the walk from the parking
areas as pleasant as possible. If we treat pedestrians
(students, faculty and staff) with respect, that respect will
be repaid tenfold.
Fig. 6: Parking
As the previous diagrams have shown, there is a serious
need for the proper planning and placement of parking on
this campus. Parking should be considered integral to the
planning and placement of buildings and not just an
afterthought. Buildings are not only destinations for
vehicles, they can also define pedestrian areas and screen
out and break up unsightly parking areas.
Fig. 7: Views
Views to and from the campus need careful consideration
in the planning of future development on campus. The
original campus had panoramic views in all directions. As
new buildings were added these views were cut-off and the
spaces between the buildings lost their connection to the
water. Buildings do not only offer views for their
inhabitants, but also frame views for others.
The campus has developed in a linear pattern parallel to the
slope and to the water. This has prevented the exploitation
of the slope by placing buildings perpendicular to the water
and allowing views to penetrate into the heart of the
campus. By allowing oblique water views from buildings
perpendicular or at a slight angle to the water there is also
the potential for lateral views of the coastline or views of
the bridge to the South and Mount Hope to the North.
The library tower is also an increasingly important marker
for the heart of the academic core of the Campus. Views of
the Library tower can be an effective means of visually
connecting to outlying areas and orienting visitors.
Fig. 8: Spatial Structure: Stepping
The original campus was planned on a grid with buildings
arranged in an informal stepping manner. This allowed for
an openness that allowed for the continuity of the existing
landscape. Since the 90’s there has been an attempt to
compose more traditional academic quadrangles. This has
led to a bit of a split identity with some of the original
building being retrofitted to define a main quadrangle. An
infill strategy would be a more successful approach to
solving this problem. In the original campus the
landscaping was also an integral part of the spatial structure
of the campus. This orchestration of buildings and
landscaping working in concert has also been lost in recent
additions to the campus.
Fig. 9: Green Space
The openness of the original farmlands has been
maintained in the lawn in front of the campus along Old
Ferry Road and in the stepping and scale of the original
campus and its buildings, which grow out of the site, using
local stone and horizontal wood roof overhangs.
The construction of the recreation center, the addition to the
architecture building and the proposed student dinning
facility will significantly transform the openness of the
original entry sequence. While this openness was primarily
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