What We Do
BriggsKnowles A+D is a Providence, RI based practice recognized for its use of light, color and ecological strategies. Light is used to animate the visual effects of space, but also to enhance the energy balance through the implementation of various solar techniques. Projects range from speculative work on the city to research into the integration of photovoltaic and interactive energy technologies into building surfaces. Recent commissions include the design of three net-zero homes in New England. BriggsKnowles A+D’s work has been published in several venues including AD, Dwell, Domus, the Home Living Channel, the New York Times and Metropolis Magazine.
Who We Are
Laura Briggs, MA, is a Senior Critic at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Previously, she was head of the Department of Architecture at RISD and Director of Sustainability at the Parsons New School for Design. She has taught architecture studio and construction technology at the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Columbia University New York/Paris, Yale University and the University of Michigan where she was the Mushenheim Fellow. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master’s Degree from Columbia University's Advanced Architectural Design Program.
Jonathan Knowles is a Professor at Rhode Island School of Design where he headed up both the 2005 and 2013 submissions to the Solar Decathlon Competition. He is currently working on affordable housing for the City of Providence and conducting research into new forms of building enclosure systems. He has taught at the Parsons School of Design, the City College of New York, and Columbia University. His degrees, a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Fine Arts, are from the Rhode Island School of Design.