A former architectural intern gets to make his mark on his native state.

01:14 AM EST on Saturday, April 3, 2004

BY ANDREA L. STAPE
Journal Staff Writer

When Al Spagnolo was a young intern at a Providence architectural firm, he used to gaze out on Kennedy Plaza and the Rhode Island State House from his office window.

Now, the Rhode Island native will get a chance to leave his own mark on the Providence skyline. Spagnolo's Boston architectural firm -- Spagnolo Gisness & Associates -- has been chosen by GTECH Holdings Corp. to design GTECH's corporate headquarters in downtown Providence.

GTECH's new world headquarters will be built at the corner of Memorial Boulevard and Francis Street, directly across the street from the Providence Place mall. It is expected to be finished in 2006.

The architectural firm was chosen last month and Spagnolo's team is still tossing around design ideas. Spagnolo said the building will be "innovative" and "contemporary" as well as "respectful of its neighbors."

Bloomberg photo / Neal Hamberg Spagnolo Gisness & Associates conceived the Staples offices in Framingham, Mass., above, and the NSTAR headquarters in Westwood, Mass.

"The urban experience one has when they arrive at the site is very important," he said.

Spagnolo said he and his team have been talking about a building featuring a "high-performance glass system" and timeless materials such as stone. GTECH has previously said that it wants to build an 8- to 10-story building with on-site parking for 450 cars.

"I think there's an extraordinary opportunity to create a 21st-century architectural statement," Spagnolo said.

Spagnolo's firm, which also designs hotel buildings and research facilities, has created, among others, the corporate headquarters complex for Staples, in Framingham, Mass.; the world headquarters building for Vicor Corp., in Andover, Mass.; SunLife's U.S. headquarters in Wellesley, Mass.; and NSTAR's headquarters in Westwood, Mass.

While design discussions with GTECH are in the preliminary stages, Spagnolo said his firm plans to present computer renderings and a model of the proposed building to the Capital Center Commission's Design Review Committee at a public meeting April 27.

The Capital Center Commission oversees the development of the 77-acre Capital Center District, which rings the State House. Its Design Review Committee must approve any development in the area.

The committee does not prohibit certain types of design, but it does work hard to make sure all new development "fits" with the Capital Center's existing properties and looks timeless, said Wilfred L. Gates Jr., chairman of the panel.

"What we are looking for is architecture that has a sense of permanence and importance -- so it will stay fresh for a long period," Gates said. "The GTECH building is in a critically important location and the committee has stated to GTECH that we're seeking a gateway statement of some substance that recognizes that this is one of the first impressions that visitors arriving in Providence will have."

GTECH is moving downtown from West Greenwich to fulfill its part of a 20-year lottery deal it signed with the state last year. To stop GTECH from moving its more than 900 employees to Massachusetts, Rhode Island offered the company a contract to run the state lottery for the next two decades -- an offer worth about $770 million. In return, GTECH agreed to stay in Rhode Island and move its corporate headquarters to Providence.

At the beginning of the year, GTECH picked USAA Real Estate Co., of San Antonio, Texas, and Commonwealth Ventures LLC, of Connecticut, to develop the property. USAA will own the building and lease it, for at least 20 years, to GTECH. A third entity, Capital Properties, actually owns the land.

Getting the new building design approved by the Design Review Committee could take several months, Gates said. The Capital Center Commission is requiring that the building be no taller than 10 stories, have retail space on the first floor and have access to Waterplace Park.

"The whole idea of a corporate building means that they not only have to project their own image, but as a good corporate citizen in Providence, the building has to have an important look -- a look of substance," Gates said.

GTECH has selected a number of engineering firms to work on the building. McNamara Salvia Inc., of Boston, will be the structural engineer. It did engineering work for the Westin Providence and the Providence Place mall. The mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer will be AHA Consulting Engineers, also of Boston. And the site- and civil-engineering firm is Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., based in Watertown, Mass.

Andrea L. Stape can be reached at astape [at] projo.com.