Providence, RI – Lincoln School broke ground on its new STEAM Hub for Girls, a $5M addition to the historic Blackstone Boulevard school building. The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Architecture, and Math) Hub will feature a brand new, two-story facade, 4,000-square-feet of interdisciplinary learning space, flexible breakout areas, and a rotating art gallery. Shawmut Design and Construction is managing the project, which was designed by LLB Architects.

The STEAM Hub for Girls will be the only dedicated STEAM facility for girls in Rhode Island. It will create a community forum for speakers and events, and an architectural addition to Providence’s East Side.

“STEAM is about enabling students to communicate valuable and complex information to a wider audience through an interdisciplinary approach,” said Suzanne Fogarty, Head of School. “This kind of dynamic teaching and learning will live in our new hub.”

With this addition, slated to be complete in the winter of the 2017-18 school year, Lincoln provides a state-of-the art facility for girls and young women to pursue STEAM and collaborate with each other to prepare students for the 21st century workplace and an interconnected world.

“Our focus is on creating collaborative and innovative learning spaces,” said Ron Simoneau, vice president of Shawmut Design and Construction. “As we continue to work with educational institutions like Lincoln School, we’ve been able to pinpoint the changing needs of the educational community.”

The addition will feature a dramatic glass curtainwall facing the west and 20 vertical fins, or sun shades, spaced in such a way as to create rolling shade as the sun moves. The modern, curvilinear design will allow people outside to literally look through the new addition and see the adjacent buildings.

“The design of the hub addition is very modern; a visual expression of the school’s mantra ‘where tradition meets innovation,’ said Kathleen Bartels, principal at LLB Architects. “We are excited to be a part of the team that is working diligently to make sure Lincoln School’s vision becomes a reality.”