Phenomenal viewpoints through the building greet students at every turn. One can gaze up to the activity on floors above or down a skylit corridor to the Gothic windows at the north end of the building. Most importantly, students can see each other.
“Transparency was the goal,” Rhoads describes. “You can see all the way across from the front of the building to the back, which fosters energy and liveliness. It provides a greater sense of connection to others and increases the chance meeting of people you might know.”
New Relationships
While the contemporary design aesthetic is evident, Grimshaw found ways to respond to the historic character of the building and West Campus. The architects wrapped the core in a geometric system composed of three pieces of terra cotta triangulated around steel rods. The imperfections in the baked and formed terra-cotta clay and its warm color relate to the oxide and ochre of the original stone.
Functional contemporary detailing recalls the filigree and elegance of the Neo-Gothic building. For the atrium’s glass enclosure, Grimshaw worked with a fabricator in Germany on the architecturally exposed steel members, fittings, and vertical rods and glass that create an intricate facade system. On the inside, the glass fins have a 50 percent frit to act as shading devices but they also distribute the wall’s lateral load to vertical steel posts.
“We optimized direct daylight and balanced it with strategies to control glare,” Cook says. “There’s a frit pattern in the skylight above, as well, and, in the center core, western red cedar panels offer shading and privacy and bring definition to the space.” Planter boxes integrated into the wood panels are filled with herbs, offering plant life and a cor- relation to cuisine.
When the building interior was gutted, the team removed the old suspended ceiling in the East wing and found a pitched roof with steel beams that they left exposed above the new steel-truss and glass elevated walkway.
In the Great Hall and Cambridge Inn, the team restored the oak trusses to bring the legacy spaces back to their original character. New hanging balconies in these areas provide unique seating areas. “The balconies put people up in the trusses where you can see the pediments and gargoyles up close and experience this historic space in a completely different way,” Rhoads remarks.
At night, the Brodhead Center’s atrium is a glowing lantern that serves as a beacon for students. Unlike the prior layout, the building’s update, which was completed in September 2016, is now perforated and can be entered from Duke’s historic Abele Quad via the tower and north and east entrances, as well as from the Crown Commons facing the atrium to the south.
Finally claiming its place as the heart of campus, students flock to gather at the Brodhead Center over a meal, relax and mingle.
Retrofit Team
Architect: Grimshaw, New York
- Mark Husser, partner in charge
- David Burke, principal
- George Hauner and Andrew Anderson, associate principals
- David Cook, Mark Rhoads and Manuel Schmidt, associates
- Aimee Duquette, Yunhee Jeong and Michael Wilson, senior architects
- Bec Wilkie and Sarah Jazmine Fugate, architects
- Zach Fine, Brooke Gassaway and Vivian Cheng, architectural designers
- Konrad Sobon and Greg Smith, computational BIM specialists
Landscape Architect: Reed Hilderbrand, Cambridge, Mass.
Structural and M/E/P/FP Engineer: Buro Happold, Boston
Food Service: Yui Design, Takoma Park, Md.
Restaurant Design and Branding: Celano Design, New York
Civil Engineer: Stewart, Durham, N.C.
Lighting: Tillotson Design Associates, New York
Acoustics, Audiovisual and IT: Jaffe Holden, Norwalk, Conn.
Signage and Wayfinding: Two Twelve, New York
Code and Fire: Jensen Hughes, Baltimore
Door Hardware: Glezen Fisher Group, Campbell Hall, N.Y., (845) 497-9757
Construction Manager: Skanska, New York
Custom-fabricated Curtainwall Installer: BEES Inc., Snow Hill, N.C., (252) 341-7143
Ground-floor Metal-framed Replacement Windows Consultant: Wheaton Sprague, Cary, N.C.
Ground-floor Metal-framed Replacement Windows Installer: SPS Corp., Apex, N.C.
Historic Window Restoration: Raynal Studios, Natural Bridge Station, Va.
Existing Wood Ceiling Restoration: Alkat Restoration, Benson, N.C.
Interior Terra-Cotta Installer: Sears Contract, Raleigh, N.C.
Interior Terrazzo Installer: David Allen Co., Raleigh
Roof Restoration: Baker Roofing Co., Raleigh
Materials
Custom-fabricated Curtainwall: Roschmann Group
Blackened Steel Panels and Metalwork: Shickel Corp.
Ground-floor Metal-framed Replacement Windows: Oldcastle
Paints and Stains: Sherwin-Williams
Dining Furnishings: Knoll, Andreu World and Beaufurn
Student-life Furnishings: Knoll, Keilhauer and Andreu World
Upholstery: Knoll Textiles and Maharam
Fixed Seating in Dining Areas: Dragonfly
Custom-fabricated Wood Furniture: Wickham Solid Wood Studio
Interior Terra Cotta: NBK
PHOTOS: James Ewing