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Research and Design Institute (RDI) Records

A description of its records at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC/RHB
Date: Mar 2009



Biographical History

The Research and Design Institute (RDI) was created by fifty Rhode Island civic leaders in 1965. Its goal was to support economic development in New England by conducting design research to improve the quality of life, primarily in the fields of education, alternative energy, health care, school and office environments, and urban design. Ronald Beckman, vice-president of the design firm George Nelson and Co., was appointed director and G. William Miller, president of Textron Corporation, was elected Chairman of the Board. U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell helped secure start-up funds from the Federal Area Redevelopment Agency and a matching state grant was approved by Rhode Island governor John H. Chaffee. The initial staff of nine included business manager Eric J. M. Godfrey, architects John Beynon and Jan Terezczenko, industrial designers Ronald Jacob and Howard Yarme, cultural anthropologist William Azano, and a secretarial staff of three. During its most active periods, the staff tripled in size.

The institute's goal was to demonstrate superior environments by designing schools, housing, medical facilities, urban places and workspaces that would attract an entrepreneurial population to Rhode Island and promote economic growth. In 1967 Beckman received the first graphic design grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to advance highway communication and safety. With New York University, RDI assembled a site for "Design-In," an environmental conference held in Central Park in 1968. A hospital interior to support Progressive Patient Care was completed in southern Rhode Island in 1969, and one of the first open-plan office interiors in America was installed for B.A. Ballou Company of East Providence in 1970. More than 20 different projects were undertaken for colleges and universities, and the Institute completed master plans for three high schools, four elementary schools, and the Rhode Island School for the Deaf. Designs for education were based on a national survey of outstanding elementary schools commissioned by the Educational Facilities Laboratory of the Ford Foundation. A program established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), entitled "Socio/Physical Design," allowed the institute to design environments in response to research findings on large federal projects. The institute collaborated with architectural firm Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum on a proposal for the American Pavilion in Osaka, Japan (1972); the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (1973-1975); and the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport highway network (1975).

After completing over 50 projects, the central mission of the institute shifted to conservation and alternative energy technology. With a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the institute developed a solar electric/solar heated daycare center engineered by Professor Joseph Loferski and his graduate students at Brown University (1975-1979). Another project was a large solar collector and wind power demonstration at the United Auto Workers (UAW) Education Center in northern Michigan (1976). Funded by the NEA, RDI prototyped an alternative energy expo for the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the last years of its operation, the institute poured all its efforts into the renovation of the 17th century Stillman White Brass Foundry in Providence, Rhode Island, hoping to create an education and demonstration center for a more sustainable approach to energy use.

By 1976 a lack of local funding and resistance to innovative ideas such as energy conservation and historic preservation led to the closing of RDI. It was succeeded by the for-profit REDE Corporation, with most of the same leadership and staff, which continued producing design proposals and projects until 1983. REDE had business relationships with several other companies, most notable InterRoyal and Vaughn Walls, which produced dormitorary and office furniture and accessories. Information in the collection suggests that RDI/REDE also operated several subsidiaries, including Eastern Scientific International and Space Development Corp.


Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Research and Design Institute (RDI) Records consists of administrative files, correspondence, financial material, legal files, photographs, printed material, project files, reports, writings, recordings, and miscellaneous material generated or accumulated by the Rhode Island non-profit and its successor orgaization REDE Corporation, as well as several short-lived subsidiaries such as Space Development Corp.

Administrative files contains material related to the operation of RDI/REDE, including annual reports, board of trustees correspodence and meeting minutes, charter and bylaws, communication with consultants, calendars, office inventories, insurance, marketing and public relations, personnel records, property leases, and solar and wind informational packets which the company sent out in response to inquiries.

Correspondence consist of general correspondence at the company level (that is, not related to specific projects). Correspondents include individuals, other companies, universities, research institutions, government entities, etc.

Finicial material includes accounts, ledgers, loans, bank books and lines of credit, expense accounts, extensive fundraising correspondence and paperwork, copies of invoices (for services, reports, consulting work, etc.), potential investors, payroll, taxes, and records of royalty payments from Vaughn Walls and Interroyal.

Legal files relate primarily to litigation and to the period during which RDI/REDE was in receivership. Other materials includes sample contracts and information related to patent applications and stock purchase.

The bulk of Photographs consists of RDI/REDE's own internal "Photo Files," containing photographs of the various projects in which they were involved. RDI/REDE assigned each project a three-letter code. These files and codes have been retained exactly as the company had them. Other photographs and slides are filed after the Photo Files. The slides have been kept in their original order, with their original three-letter project codes.

Printed material contains clippings about the company and its projects spanning more than 20 years. Following that is a large amount of material accumulated by RDI/REDE as reference material and/or for use in its promotional and information packages. Most of this falls into one or more of the major fields in which the company was involved (architecture, education, energy, health care, office space, and urban design). Types of material include company and product literature, conferences, exhibits, legislation, organizational literature, academic and professional papers, and reports. A small amount of miscellaneous material at the end ranges from bibliographies to comic books.

Project files make up the bulk of the collection. Project files are arranged alphabetically by name of project (which is not always the same as the name of the client); where necessary, cross-references are provided in the inventory below. Types of material for each project may include contracts, correspondence, cost estimates, drawings, invoices, photographs, proposals, publicity, and draft and final reports. As much as possible, material related to a specific project is arranged roughly chronologically, so that the progress of the project can be traced over time.

Recordings contains a wide range of audio and visual recordings, including interviews with Ron Beckman and others; lectures, speeches, and panels; conference sessions and seminars; and television coverage of the "Design-In" event. There are also several episodes of the television show NOVA and a few PBS shows.

Reports contains final reports generated by RDI/REDE at the end of various projects. It is clear from the invoices in the financial material series that they reeived frequent requests for copies of these reports. Like the Photo Files, these files have been kept in their original order as created and maintained by RDI/REDE.

Writings contains other material produced by RDI/REDE and/or its individual employees, mostly Ron Beckman. Theses include articles for magazines and newspapers, letters to the editor, and speeches.

A small amount of Miscellaneous material, including a child's drawing of a windmill and a few artifacts, concludes the collection.


Arrangement of the Collection

The bulkj of the collection is arranged alphabetically by type title, or topic. The exception to this is the Project files, which are alphabetical by project and then within each project roughly chronologically, so that the progress of a project can be traced over time.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Access to audiovisual material requires advance notice to produce a use copy.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Related Material

Books and full issues of magazines have been removed from the collection and transferred to Rare Books for cataloging. Please refer to Libraries Search to locate these items.

See also the Ron Beckman Papers.


Subject Headings

Persons

Beckman, Ronald H.
Miller, G. William (George William), 1925-2006.
Nelson, George, 1908-1986.
Pell, Claiborne, 1918-2009.
Yarme, Howard.

Corporate Bodies

Educational Facilities Laboratories.
Herman Miller, Inc.
REDE Corp.
Research and Design Institute.
Textron, Inc.

Subjects

Industrial design -- Environmental aspects.
Industrial design -- History.
Industrial design -- Philosophy.
Industrial design -- Social aspects.
Industrial design.
Renewable energy sources -- Research.

Places

Rhode Island -- Business

Genres and Forms

16mm (photographic film size)
Audiotapes.
Contracts.
Correspondence.
Drawings (visual works)
Manuscripts for publication.
Negatives (photographs)
Photographs.
Posters.
Proposals.
Reports.
Sound recordings.
Tape reels.
U-matic.
VHS.

Occupations

Industrial designers -- United States.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Research and Design Institute Records,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Ronald Beckman, 1994, 2000.


Table of Contents

Administrative files

Correspondence

Financial material

Legal material

Photographs

Printed material

Project files

Recordings

Reports

Writings

Miscellaneous


Inventory