Providence College’s School of Business is the People’s Choice

In a landslide, SMMA’s design for Providence College’s Arthur F. & Patricia Ryan Center for Business Studies won the People’s Choice Award during the 2019 AIA Rhode Island Design Awards gala. This year’s recipient, which is voted in by the public every year, was chosen out of 48 entries from 23 firms.

“This building has already had a far greater impact than I ever could have imagined. There is no question that the Ryan Center brings great joy to faculty and administrators and, honestly, it makes it easier for us to bring out the best in our students, which is our job every day.”
– Dean Sylvia Maxfield, Ph.D.

The Ryan Center is a cornerstone of Providence College. The building embodies a new beginning at the 100-year-old institution while also acting as a connector, uniting the east and west campuses and preserving the historic Dore Hall. Featuring a two-story active classroom addition with an interconnected double-height multipurpose atrium, it serves as a vibrant center of student activities and academic involvement. Since its completion in 2017, The Ryan Center has become one of the most popular student spaces on campus and showcases a modern update to the classic brick and stone building that so many students had called home for years.

The 2019 People’s Choice Award joins a list of awards for the project, including the 2018 Grand Prize Award, College/University, Learning By Design magazine, and the 2017 Outstanding Design Award, American School & University magazine, Architectural Portfolio.