Roger Williams University’s student architects are reviving a once-popular program left dormant during the pandemic, and the Town Beach will be the first recipient of their time and talent.

Freedom By Design (FBD) is a design-build organization under the American Institute of Architecture Students whose mission is to encourage students to serve their communities by addressing issues with design solutions. FBD provides students with real-world experience, giving them the opportunity to work with clients, learn from local licensed architects and contractors, and experience the practical impacts of architecture and design. In doing so, they create a project that serves a clear need in their community.

In search of such a project this fall, RWU’s FBD team reached out to Bristol’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Director Warren Rensehausen and Assistant Director Tim Shaw realized right away that they had the perfect project available in the Town Beach and Sports Complex gatehouse.

“It’s the first thing people see, and it has seen better days,” said Rensehausen.

According to Dominic Cavallo, a RWU junior from Connecticut who serves at the Director for RWU FBD, the new checkpoint will be safer and more comfortable for staff, include updated bilingual signage, establish passive strategies such as shading and cooling devices, include a larger footprint for storage, and create an aesthetically pleasing structure that also contextualizes with the surrounding features.

“They did great work,” said Rensehausen of the design, which plays off the 1680 settlement date of the town with 16 planks in one direction and 80 smaller ones in the other. It also gives a nod to the seaside location with a wave enclosure and a sail shade. “They really put in a great effort.”

The primary FBD team includes their five-member executive committee and three faculty/industry advisors, though the entire club was part of the early pitch process which generated about 30 unique designs for input from Rensehausen and Shaw, who has worked closely with FBD throughout this process.

The students will build the structure in the construction and architecture workshops on campus, then reassemble on site. Their intended completion date is March 13.

“We are really excited to work with the Town and do our part to help strengthen the relationship between the university and the community,” said Cavallo.