Architect: Clark Nexsen
Project Location: Durham, NC
Project Completion Date: August, 2015
Short Description: Described as “fortress-like” by students, Edens Quad was the least desirable place to live on campus. A series of strategies were developed for reviving the quad, creating a vibrant residential community connected to and engaged with the greater campus. A new entry threshold punctures the fortress walls to extend an existing campus axis into the quad. Study and gaming areas surround the new gateway, providing unique campus amenities. Existing commons areas are transformed into “lanterns” that provide needed transparency, connecting interior and exterior spaces. Repurposed exterior spaces enhance the sense of community and further the connection between inside and out.
Architect’s Statement: Prior to their transformative renovation, the residence halls of Edens Quad were considered the least desirable places to live on the Duke University campus. Through a collaborative process, the design team worked with university stakeholders to develop a series of strategies for reviving these late 1960’s buildings, creating a vibrant residential community connected to and engaged with the greater campus. The buildings, described by students in early focus groups as “fortress like,” are transformed through a series of glass “lanterns” that provide transparency, connecting student areas to exterior quad activity. In each case, stone-clad precast wall panels were removed and replaced with new glass curtainwall. Much needed natural light fills the new spaces during the day while indoor light spills out into the quad in the evenings allowing programs and activities to be seen. A community “threshold” or “gateway” is created by puncturing the “fortress” wall to extend an existing campus axis into the community’s quad. The threshold is animated by group study and gaming areas that provide a unique campus amenity for Edens as well as the larger campus community. The existing buildings were scattered with small amenity spaces (study, computer, lounge, etc). Each of these were remote and embedded inside the individual residence halls comprising Edens Quad. A strategy was developed to repurpose these small spaces into new dorm rooms and to relocate all of the shared amenity space into two main locations: the first being the study/gaming pavilion located at the main quad threshold and the second being the multipurpose room located adjacent to the Quad lawn. This strategy resulted in much more impactful amenity space without the loss of any existing bed-counts. Finally, gathering spaces are located along pedestrian paths, at intersections, and near main entries to encourage a sense of community and enliven the outdoor areas between the residence halls.
Type of Construction: Existing Building: Cast in place concrete structure Precast concrete wall panels with field stone Storefront glazing New Construction: Steel structure Curtainwall glazing Phenolic liner panels Wood interior wall panels Carpet Gypsum wall board