The LLB Scale

February 26th, 2018

Thank you for visiting LLB Architect’s website to learn how to use your scale! Below are some directions which can help you get oriented if you have not used an architectural scale before.

How to Use an Architectural Scale:

  1. Determine the scale used on the architectural drawing which you wish to review. If one scale has been used for an entire sheet of the places, the scale will typically be found in the legend. If different scales have been used for different drawings, check underneath the individual drawings for a scale.


  2. Find the corresponding scale on your ruler. On the LLB scale you will find a 1/8 at one edge and 1/4 at the other end. The row of numbers which starts with zero closer to the end with 1/8 are the numbers that correspond to that scale, with 1/8 corresponding to 1 foot.


  3. If you wish to measure out a 4-foot wall at a particular scale, simply begin measuring at 0 and go to the 4 mark on that scale.


  4. If you look to the outer edge of the scale, you will see smaller gradations on the far side of zero. These fractions of an inch allow you to measure fractions of a foot. If you want to measure 4.5 feet on your drawing, begin at the halfway point of the smaller gradations (on the outer edge of 0) and continue until you reach the 4 mark.

Still not quite sure how it works? Give us a call with questions. Or enjoy our humorous instructional video!

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Foxborough Town Hall

January 3rd, 2018

Following the completion of Foxborough’s Boyden Library, LLB Architects was selected by the Town in 2014 to design their new 17,000 sf town hall.

The new town hall is located on the same site as the original existing building, and was planned to accommodate the current and anticipated needs of the Town’s administrative operations while also improving resident access and providing much needed community meeting space. There are approximately 39 employees employed by the town. The space is a mix of 14 private offices, collaborative work areas, flexible work areas, and meeting rooms.

The design of the new town hall took the context of the location into consideration, and the result compliments the neighborhood and colonial heritage of the Town.

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Moses Brown Squash Courts

November 22nd, 2017

The Moses Brown School, an independent, college preparatory, Quaker day school, and SquashBusters, a sports-based after school youth enrichment program, have partnered for the development of a Squashbusters Center on the school’s 33 acre Providence campus. The new center is located at the campus entrance on Hope Street and has twelve squash courts, a central viewing and activity area, two classrooms/meeting rooms, two student lounge areas, large men and women’s locker rooms, staff offices, a kitchenette, and a large storage space.

The massing anchors the building on site: The front terracotta-clad volume steps down towards Hope Street to blend in with the adjacent residential architecture, while the entrance is located on the campus side, along a rain garden that is framed by the building and two existing large scale trees.

The new squash center enhances school’s athletic facilities while developing new connections with the surrounding community by being available to the public through community memberships, hosting summer camps and tournaments.

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Lincoln School STEAM Hub for Girls

November 22nd, 2017

The STEAM Hub for Girls features interdisciplinary teaching space for science, math, and the humanities including new physics and chemistry labs, recently renovated biology labs, glass-enclosed study spaces, and a 2,000 square foot art gallery for students and visiting artists.

The project sits at the intersection of several of the key guiding principles defined in the Lincoln School Master Plan developed by LLB Architects in 2016. It recasts traditional classroom spaces as agile spaces for group collaboration and project-based learning, improves connectivity, and makes the facility more sustainable and resilient.

The design of the STEAM Hub is a visual expression of the school’s mantra “where tradition meets innovation,” with a modern, curvilinear façade partially wrapping but not obscuring the adjacent historic building. Back-of-house services that had dominated the Butler/Blackstone streetscape have been tucked away, while the new addition hovers over a newly planted greenscape and rain garden.

Its technologically advanced components include a dramatic glass curtain wall facing the west with twenty vertical sun shades, that are spaced to create rolling shade as the sun moves. The structure of the poured-in-place two-way concrete slab, steel cross bracing, and round, mushroom-capped columns are exposed to provide the students a learning laboratory for engineering and architecture.

Finally, a subtly edge-lit glass sign is a fresh reminder that Lincoln School is a bold, innovative place for learning and leadership for girls.

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Essex Sports Center

November 22nd, 2017

The Essex Sports Center is a 120,000-square foot recreational facility that serves the surrounding 17 towns within Essex County. The center has two ice rinks, a 30,000 square foot Indoor Synthetic Turf Field House, a strength training and sports rehab center.

Other tenants include a pro-shop that offers equipment and apparel as well as a food service provider that focuses on providing healthy food options. The center rents ice and field time to private schools as well as youth hockey and soccer programs.

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Harvard Town Hall

November 22nd, 2017

In 2013, LLB began an exhaustive existing conditions assessment of the Town Hall which resulted in the preparation of construction documents for the restoration of the exterior and the renovation of the interior. One of the town’s goals was to restore the building as close to the original 1870’s design requiring the recreation of a cupola that had been part of the original design. This was possible through the careful study of historic photographs.

Examination of the historic facades determined the level of deterioration and the appropriate approach to restore each piece of siding and trim. Improvements to the exterior of the building included a new asphalt shingle roof, the addition of energy-efficient insulation and aluminum clad wooden windows and cedar siding that replicate the historic character. To bring the town hall into compliance with current building codes and accessibility requirements, a new exterior entrance and interior vertical lift were added. Interior upgrades included the installation of an energy-efficient boiler and water heater, as well as new fire protection and electrical systems.

On the interior, LLB worked with the town to redesign the space layout to better reflect how the town hall operates today, including the addition of much needed large and small conference rooms.

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Morriss Lounge, Brown University

November 22nd, 2017

At Morriss Hall, the renovation of the ground floor of a dormitory removed all internal walls from the lobby, “Fireside Lounge,” and Game Room, including two old fireplaces, to provide a contiguous open space. The transformed space includes a new glass vestibule, a double-sided, functional, gas fireplace, a re-imagined game room with built-in wood bench, etched mirror wall, and an enlarged Fireside Lounge for studying. A new restroom was provided, in addition to remodeling the existing restroom.

Light-bathed columns lift up the new ceiling and illuminate the structural armature of a re-imagined student-centered game, lounge, and study space. Columns are wrapped in high-impact drywall, rounded corners and a level 5 finish. The ceiling terminates shy of column faces, allowing a light fixture on each side of every column, to wash each column’s face.

The transformed Fireside Lounge includes a variety of lounge and study seating areas. Glazing beyond looks out on a prominent campus pedestrian walkway and Morriss Arch. Plank acoustical tile ceilings stop shy of gently-rounded column enclosures, to provide space for up-lighting.

The re-imagined game room includes both pool and ping-pong tables, and a lounge area with television. A variety of seating options is provided to include high top tables at windows and a fixed bench at the masonry wall. The masonry wall was covered with reverse etched mirror glass. New piers at this wall are created to match the structural rhythm of the space and conceal relocated roof drains from above.

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University of Rhode Island College of Engineering

November 22nd, 2017

The University of Rhode Island’s College of Engineering is leasing approximately 30,000 square feet of space on a temporary basis from Schneider Electric at their West Kingston manufacturing and office facility. This arrangement provides space for the program while the new College of Engineering Facility is under construction.

The space in the north end of the Schneider Electric facility will be used for classroom, office, administration and “work space” for student project development in the electrical engineering curriculum. LLB worked with both Schneider Electric and the University to develop space plans and design for ELECOMP Capstone labs for the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program for Electrical (ELE) and Computer (COMP) engineers, offices and other support areas. One of the cornerstones of the ELECOMP Capstone Design is to pair senior-level engineering students with industry sponsors to design, build, program and test solutions to their problems. As Schneider Electric is a producer of consumer electronic power products, collaboration and knowledge sharing are seen to be additional benefits for both the College and company.

The project was completed under an aggressive, 24-week, design and construction timeline. The Schneider manufacturing facility remained occupied and fully operational during the renovation.

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Rhode Island College – Gaige Hall

November 22nd, 2017

Gaige Hall is the home to the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Departments of Anthropology, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Political Science and Sociology; and the Audiovisual Department and Audiovisual Help Center. Built in 1966, Gaige Hall faced a series of infrastructure problems that greatly affected the learning environment including extreme fluctuations in temperature, lack of natural light, and poor acoustics. Built at a time when teaching and learning methodology favored a more segregated and inward environment, the floor plan lacked many common and gathering areas.

The renovation and addition to Gaige Hall completely reorganized the departments and classrooms; creating integrated collaborative zones throughout the building to provide flexibility to the various user groups. The program was laid out in a manner that establishing more open, light-filled spaces that encourage a sense of community and provide areas for gathering, group study, and casual meetings. A small addition makes a connection on the third level of the building, creating additional space for new student lounges areas with power stations for technology, and a large multipurpose room overlooking the quad. The multipurpose room further opens up the building to allow natural daylight to penetrate the interior. A 334-seat auditorium with improved sightlines, updated acoustics and state of the art sound system is one of the new features of the building.

The modernization and upgrade of the building envelope and mechanical systems combined with the incorporation of accessible design re-establishes Gaige Hall as a campus destination.

Read what RIC has to say about Gaige Hall here.

Photography by Nat Rea.

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Cranston Public Library – Children’s Room Renovation

November 22nd, 2017

The Cranston Public Library Central Branch’s Children’s Room was heavily used by the community and boasted a high circulation rate despite a space that had not been updated in over 30 years. The goal of the renovation was to revitalize the space, improve sightlines and create age appropriate zones. Working closely with the library staff, LLB Architects developed a plan that allows for areas for reading, studying, lounging and playing. The plan maximizes sightlines to ensure watchful eyes on children, improves access to natural light, and most importantly, creates a secure entry.

The library staff was inspired by children’s portal literature and those classic books and stories quickly became the theme for the space. Carpet patterns emphasize a path to different zones. Finishes, furniture and lighting were selected to create a fun and whimsical atmosphere. Images and illustrations for the space were carefully selected to ensure that there were no direct references to specific stories, relying on classic iconography so the children could use their imagination to connect to various books.

The main reading area is highlighted by custom designed light fixtures that were the direct embodiment of the gateway to literature. The exterior of the fixtures show silhouettes of the “real world” while the bottom lens shows the “technicolor” images of the fantasy worlds. The hexagon sitting wall provides an intimate and cozy seating for reading. The children’s librarian desk’s playful and welcoming shape was specifically designed to allow monitoring of the entrance while simultaneously giving views down the stacks to keep an eye on active children. The shape helps with safety and encourages interaction with patrons at a child friendly height.

Other notable features include computer workstations, fit out with safely wobbling Doko ottomans. Bright decals reminiscent of classic children’s literature activate a tea party reading chair, and castle activity board zone.  The re-imagined program room with flexible seating, additional storage and kitchenette insure many engaging library programs to come.

Photography by Nat Rea.

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