Medical education

The new medical education facility at 222 Richmond Street in the Jewelry District will:

• support larger Alpert Medical School classes (to 120 students per class from approximately 100);
• offer vastly expanded “academy” spaces for students to study, collaborate, socialize, talk with advisers;
• provide 16 clinical simulation suites for training in physical examination, diagnosis, taking medical histories, and interacting with patient;
• equip new lecture halls, seminar rooms, and case study rooms with power ports for student iPads;
• provide bright, spacious, well-ventilated anatomy labs;
• create an electronic (bookless) library with full-time librarian;
• become the medical school’s first dedicated home.

Alpert Medical School and Rhode Island

As the state’s only medical school, the Alpert Medical School of Brown University:

• includes 43 percent of Rhode Island physicians its faculty;
• is the alma mater of 13 percent of the state’s physicians;
• draws 27 percent of its students from New England;
• matches 14 percent of its M.D. graduates into residencies in Rhode Island hospitals;
• provides Rhode Island physicians and surgeons with a new venue for continuing medical education;
• is a new venue for public health lectures.

Community enhancements

As important institutions in the Providence and Rhode Island communities, Brown University and its Alpert Medical School:

• are investing $2 million in community enhancements;
• will establish a new urban park at Richmond and Ship streets;
• have created a new police substation, to serve Brown and Providence police;
• are renovating sidewalks and streets along Richmond and Ship streets;
• have planted new trees along Richmond Street;
• are providing a new café open to the public, in cooperation with the owners of Bagel Gourmet and Bagel Gourmet Ole.

Economic impact

The Alpert Medical School’s move into the Jewelry District will continue to have a significant positive economic impact on the area:

• a $45-million renovation of an existing building;
• creation of 425 construction-related jobs;
• addition of about 500 people students, faculty, staff to the Jewelry District;
• major acceleration of the area’s transition to the Knowledge District.

Environmental Sustainability

The University incorporated energy-saving and environmentally friendly features into the construction project, including:

• a “green” roof;
• water-saving fixtures;
• energy-efficient windows;
• energy-efficient lighting with occupation-aware dimming sensors;
• sustainable, low-landfill handling of construction debris;
• application pending for LEED Gold rating;
• additional details available (pdf) at http://bit.ly/qGYTb8.

Basic building facts

• 134,000 square feet on four floors;
• architect: Ellenzweig Associates;
• lead contractor: Suffolk Construction;
• built in June 1928 as a jewelry factory; was converted to office space in 1978;
• groundbreaking for medical school held April 2010.

Construction facts

• 1,200 cubic yards of concrete (purchased in Rhode Island);
• 552 tons of steel and other metals (steel fabricated in Rhode Island);
• 12,000 studs;
• 10,000 sheets of drywall;
• 1,680 gallons of paint (purchased in Rhode Island).