URI was honored with two of Rhode Island Monthly’s 2015 Design Awards. In the category of commercial renovation or new construction, URI’s Anna Fascitelli Fitness and Wellness Center received a gold award, and URI’s Gender and Sexuality Center garnered a bronze award.

The Anna Fascitelli Fitness and Wellness Center was noted for the finesse with which the architects created a modernist renovation that highlights the building’s original 1960s structure, which originally served as a central dining hall for the residence quad. The renovation features an inviting canopy and banks of windows that give the building a sense of openness.

The Gender and Sexuality Center is the country’s first freestanding campus LGBTQ center. The center’s stone and clapboard exterior combines modern and traditional elements for a warm and welcoming appearance. Inside, there are comfortable spaces for meetings, classes and offices. The judges noted that the building states its role “in a sophisticated manner, through form and materials.”

The Rhode Island Monthly Design Awards have been recognizing the best of Rhode Island’s commercial and residential renovation, new construction and interior design since 1994.