Duke University
Gross Hall for Interdisciplinary Innovation
Durham, NC
Originally abandoned and slated for demolition, a series of phased renovations has transformed Gross Hall into a vibrant community for interdisciplinary research and teaching.
The creation of a new, multi-departmental “hub” in the heart of Duke’s campus brings together a diverse collection of schools and programs including Business, Public Policy, Law and numerous departments within the School of Engineering.
Space types include numerous highly-flexible, modular wet and dry research laboratories to support constantly changing and evolving research initiatives. The Foundry, a renovation to the lower basement levels, created an innovative makerspace for student-focused exploration offering unique spaces that house a wide range of course-related, co-curricular and entrepreneurial-fabrication projects and activities.
The design focused attention on establishing highly collaborative, formal and informal social spaces throughout Gross Hall. These include the “Energy Hub” which revitalized the first floor into a vibrant and engaging social space to foster informal collaboration between graduate and undergraduate students interested in energy and the environment.
Other spaces include audio-visual and technology-rich “smart” classrooms, project-based teaming spaces, faculty and staff offices and administrative space. A sky-lit atrium connects the second and third floors and intentionally brings together diverse campus groups for gathering and teaching activities.