Durham, NC

Currently located in some of the most outdated buildings on the Duke campus, the School of Nursing will soon have a new presence at the heart of the University's medical complex. Ayers/Saint/Gross completed an expansion study in 2001 and was commissioned to design a facility that accommodates the school's plan to expand the faculty, student enrollment, and curriculum and better serve the medical complex and the field of nursing. The facility also will be compatible with the two-acre sloped, wooded site occupied by the current building.

Construction will be in two phases, with teaching, faculty, and social spaces moving into the new building first. The existing building will house research programs until completion of Phase II. Afterward, the original facility will be razed.

The project emphasizes sustainable design principles, including compliance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) requirements. Strategies include maximizing daylighting in interior spaces and using Green-Roof and Bio-Remediation Area to treat a portion of the runoff on the building's southeastern side as part of the site plan development.

Completion: Fall 2006
Size: 71,000 gsf
Cost: $14.7 million