AIA RI awards Southside Community Land Trust Headquarters
AIA Rhode Island recognizes Southside Community Land Trust Headquarters with a Citation for Architecture of Rehabilitation.
At its core, this project involved transforming a 19th-century livery building into a flexible, welcoming center for urban agriculture, education, and small-scale commerce. Reinforcing original timber trusses, introducing modern structural solutions, and creating space for workshops, farm-related services, and youth workforce initiatives all help ensure that this historic building now meets the evolving needs of the community it serves.
Beyond the building’s structural and programmatic improvements, the team emphasized material choices and systems that reduce environmental impact and position the site for future solar integration. By balancing respect for the past with forward-looking strategies, the Southside Community Land Trust Headquarters fosters both local enterprise and environmental stewardship—offering a model for how existing structures can be adapted to enrich their surroundings for years to come.
