Community MusicWorks: A Healthy, Low-Embodied Carbon Center for Music

The Community MusicWorks Center is a gathering place for music, learning, and community in Providence, Rhode Island. Healthy Materials Lab provided material health consultancy for this groundbreaking project, helping shape a building that prioritizes both human and environmental health.

Working closely with Community MusicWorks and 3SIXØ Architecture, HML developed a material health framework that guided material selection, procurement, and environmental strategies throughout design and construction. 

Since CMW primarily works with children, teens, and their families, we focused on protecting children’s health, knowing their developing organs and neurological systems are especially vulnerable to toxic exposures. 

• Building materials and furnishings evaluated and selected to minimize toxins known to contribute to childhood diseases.
• Some of the material categories include: formaldehyde-free plywood, mineral paint, wood-fiber acoustical panels, linoleum flooring, no finishes where not necessary
• First fully Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) building in the city of Providence, and second in Rhode Island. CLT is used as the structure, dramatically reducing carbon emissions by limiting steel and concrete use
• Beyond construction, HML collaborated with CMW to guide furniture selection and healthy cleaning products, deepening the commitment to long-term indoor health and sustainability

The 24,000 square feet building features a central atrium and café that serve as a gathering area and performance space adjacent to the performance hall, as well as classrooms and practice spaces, lounge or meeting areas, a media lab, music library, and administrative offices. The building integrates a 7,000-gallon Rainwater System that captures the center’s stormwater to re-use for irrigation. 
 

Learn how material selection influenced indoor environmental quality while reducing embodied carbon throughout the Community MusicWorks Center. Highlights from the report include:

• How healthier materials reduced exposure to chemicals associated with asthma and endocrine disruption
• Comparisons between conventional building products and the materials ultimately selected
• Embodied carbon findings across structure, flooring, paint, furniture, and more
• The role of mass timber, mineral paint, cellulose insulation, and PVC-free materials in supporting healthier indoor environments
• Lessons learned and specification guidance for future projects

The report also compares selected materials against industry-standard alternatives, revealing substantial reductions in both embodied carbon and ingredients associated with asthma and endocrine disruption.

In 2017, Community MusicWorks purchased a 10,000-square-foot vacant lot at 1326 Westminster Street, one block from its original storefront, to create a hub for community performance, a home for young musicians, and a center for developing practice.

Before design began, HML studied environmental conditions surrounding the site, including nearby pollutants, toxic releases, and environmental health concerns affecting the surrounding neighborhoods.

These findings informed a project-specific guiding framework for material selection that prioritized reducing exposure to environmental toxicants and avoiding chemicals associated with asthma and endocrine disruption - health concerns that disproportionately affect children and adolescents. 

The framework also emphasized products with high levels of ingredient transparency and focused on the building materials occupants would interact with most frequently, helping ensure healthier outcomes throughout the project.
 

The Community MusicWorks Center was realized through the collaboration of the following project partners:

• Architects: 3SIX0 Architecture
• General Contractor: Pezzuco Construction
• Acoustical Engineers: Arup
• Material Health Consultants: Parsons Healthy Materials Lab

Image header courtesy of CMW, photograph by Rebecca Atwood/Atomic Clock Photography. Images throughout this page courtesy of 3SIX0 Architecture.