Duke University Smith Warehouse / LAMBERT Architecture + Interiors

Architect: LAMBERT Architecture + Interiors
Location: Durham, North Carolina, USA
Project Area: 90,000 sqf
Project Year: 2011
Photographs: r h wilson photography

This 90,000 sqf renovation accommodates flexible office space for over fifteen departments and includes a business center and café. The goal was to create a flexible building with workspace standards that might accommodate different groups with minimal reconfiguration over the lifespan of this interior upfit.

Built as a tobacco warehouse in the late 1800s, the existing building, rich with restored brick and exposed heavy timber, was somewhat foreboding in its scale and repetition. For use by a variety of student focused groups, LAMBERT sought to soften and organize the spaces and give a interesting but methodical system of wayfinding. As a major orientation feature, programmatically diverse groups were arranged along a sinuous wall that parallels primary circulation on the first floor while incorporating industrial-feeling materials sympathetic to the space. Distinct, bright colors were used to denote each major “bay” of the building, figuring into signage and wayfinding. Wireless network connectivity is available throughout, as well as meeting spaces which range in size and configuration to accommodate a variety of instructional styles.

Text provided by LAMBERT Architecture + Interiors.