Shaping Place by ACC Art Books

SHAPING PLACE DUDA|PAINE ARCHITECTS

FOREWORD BY STEVE DUMEZ EDITED BY REBECCA W.E. EDMUNDS

CONTENTS

FOREWORD 7 PREFACE 9 INTRODUCTION 14

ACADEMIC LIFE

WORKPLACE

154

Talley Student Union North Carolina State University

NCR Global Headquarters

156

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics–Morganton

Dimensional Place 168 Dimensional Fund Advisors East Coast Headquarters

Insight Global Headquarters Twelve24 Office Tower

178

Gerald L. Boarman Discovery Center The Bullis School

601 Massachusetts Avenue

186

North Carolina Central University Student Center

RTI International Headquarters

198

Blake Hubbard Commons and Arts & Engineering Building Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill

Pioneer Natural Resources Headquarters

208

Cox Enterprises, Inc. Corporate Campus

218

Emory Student Center, Emory University

1950 & 2000 Opportunity Way at Reston Gateway

228

FIFTY Ivan Allen

236

246

WELLNESS

URBAN CENTERS

Duke Student Wellness Center Duke University

AUSTIN TEXAS 248 Colorado Tower

250

Garden Pavilion at Palisades West

102

405 Colorado

260

Garden Gateway Sarah P. Duke Gardens

108

The Republic

268

Duke Faculty Club

116

Student Wellness & Activity Center North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics–Morganton

126

Student Health & Wellness Center University of Virginia

132

Center for Health & Wellbeing

140

MONTERREY MEXICO 276 Equus 333

278

Bal’Zac Towers

288

Ikon Tower

294

RALEIGH NORTH CAROLINA

304

The Dillon

306

301 Hillsborough at Raleigh Crossing

316

MTB Office Buildings

324

121 Fayetteville

332

APPENDIX

340

FOREWORD

The notion of the architect as “creator of form” is one that has been well documented over the years. Among the public, this remains a prevailing concept of the profession: that of an artist, working in isolation, the temperamental creator delivering grandeur through his/her endeavors. And while no one would downplay the sublime degree of art and craft inherent in their work, it is rather obvious that Turan Duda and Jeff Paine reject the idea of architecture as a commodity-driven endeavor. They are much more inclined to talk about the role of the architect in the capacity as creator of connections and as a builder of community. Rather than a monologue, their work is a dialogue. Collaboration, engagement, and the inclusion of multiple voices is fundamental to their design process. I had the pleasure of getting to know Turan Duda and Jeff Paine while working in the office of Cesar Pelli & Associates. Their experience working with Cesar was formative in their approach to practice, one that exhibits a profound humanism at the center of the work. This influence has resulted in a practice that fosters the idea of architecture as a social art—dedicated to the social responsibility and the public good—both in its realization and in its conception. I also know Turan as a teacher. He is as engaging and inquisitive as any architect I have encountered, fully engrossed in the thoughts and ideas of those around him. As I have watched the firm grow over the years, I am convinced it is due in no small part to the fact that both Turan Duda and Jeff Paine are great teachers and mentors. Together, they have articulated an architectural value system that has assembled the unique and talented collection of individuals that represent the firm today and will carry it forward into the future. A monograph such as this is an opportunity to reflect on the ideas (and ideals) that are the foundation of the work. The projects compiled in this volume demonstrate the firm’s singular methodology and collective values. The work of Duda|Paine Architects represents a unique collaboration, one where the ultimate vision of the architect is a product of the aspirations of the client, the community it serves, and the people who will use it. Even as the profession has become more and more specialized, the work of Duda|Paine remains less about specific typologies and more about a collection of ideas that seek to elevate the human condition. In a world that has become increasingly virtual, their architecture acts as a refuge of reality, shaping places that engender curiosity and awaken us to the magic of experience. — Steve Dumez FAIA

PREFACE

In the years since Individual to Collective was published in 2013, the extent and reach of Duda|Paine Architects’ work have accelerated equally. The thinking that shaped the book’s projects, while not new to the firm’s work, felt freshly articulated. Today, those ideas—Shaping Experience, Creating Context, Skyline Meets Streetscape, The Public Room, and Transformations—have proven their merit by informing millions of square feet of completed buildings. They have also expanded to influence different building uses. A few of the firm’s early projects, Duke Integrative Medicine and The Quiet Room at the Duke Cancer Center in particular, foretold a sensitivity to human experience that taps into the core of what we as a society need: more spaces in all building types designed that allow us to experience nature and natural light, find a spot to pause, gather with others or simply be. When this volume is printed—months from this writing—we will be squarely in an unknowable future. Will we be better prepared for the next virus, natural disaster, economic upheaval or tumultuous event? While we cannot know, we can speculate that the focus on wellness and on sustainable, adaptable and flexible workplaces, academic centers and urban centers will continue. The need to plan, design and shape environments will continue too. And, much like the work in Individual to Collective, the strategies brought to life in this volume will evolve and bring new ways of living, healing, learning, working and collaborating to the forefront of this firm’s thinking and expertise. — Rebecca W. E. Edmunds AIA

What has changed since Individual to Collective was published? TURAN The buildings included in Individual to Collective are no longer abstractions. They are living organisms, and we’ve seen their impact. We can assess our clients’ satisfaction and our own. Much of that early work was formed using intuition and our cumulative knowledge and experience from fifteen years working with Cesar Pelli. We didn’t think about theory or pedagogy. We used our wits, understanding and energy to accomplish this thing called architecture. JEFF Today we have more completed work to reflect on the themes involved in the work’s creation. Shaping experience, sensitivity to context, including spaces for the public and seeking transformation remain valid concepts. They ground how we approach architecture. TURAN Shaping Experience was less about architectural typology and more to do with how we thought about buildings. Transformations spoke to the inventiveness we bring to rethinking established models; to reimagining how people teach medicine, work together and use public space; and the points of confluence between established models and contemporary needs. The themes of Public Rooms, Creating Context and Skyline Meets Streetscape began with a search for form to elicit a physical response. The themes also gave us metaphors to paint a picture for our clients before we started designing. They are universal but have evolved to reflect where we are historically, socially and culturally. JEFF Themes also save us from being stylistically constrained. We are freed to focus on the critical ideas we care about like public and outdoor space. They have led us in directions especially appropriate today, such as wellness, and provided permission to engage others in design more fully.

TURAN We believe in the ideas behind the themes enough to articulate them, fight for them and to convince our clients to build them. JEFF The themes are not about theory. We are interested in designing buildings that get built, become real, are used and enjoyed by people. How are the themes manifested in your work today? JEFF The ideas first presented in Individual to Collective are a frame of reference for thinking about meaning in our work. They provide a language everyone can understand. They are a means to create buildings that solve problems. TURAN Architecture as an art form, and the essence of an idea—its intention—has many aspirations before taking physical form. The conventions of building types, construction systems and building codes have control over making architecture. Innovation emerges in our creative deviation from those conventions. Reflection naturally occurs once the work is complete, when hindsight allows new insight. Across this cycle—imagining, creating and reflecting—the book’s themes endure and evolve. JEFF For example, even as new boundaries are set because of the pandemic, our vision is to bring people together, to obscure the delineation between public and private and create what we still call public rooms. Great public spaces are universal.

The enduring appeal of the piazzas of ancient Rome tell us that despite the conditions of today, we will always need space to gather. TURAN Public space allows life’s theater to happen—these are the spaces we remember most. Louis Kahn said, “Architecture begins with the making of a room and continues to become a collection of rooms.” Whether we’re creating an urban room, a room inside a building, a room between buildings, in our work that public room is the centerpiece of memorable architecture. JEFF Too many buildings held up as architecturally significant appear to turn their back on context in favor of making an overt aesthetic statement. We believe a building has to function well and be additive to its context, to be both informed by history and redefine historical elements in a modern way. A building can still be monumental, but we believe there’s a fundamental responsibility to context. TURAN We shape and sculpt our buildings to be beautiful, but the architectural experience results from the dialogue we engage in with context. We think about the project and the area beyond the project simultaneously. We may be designing a building lobby, but the process considers the sidewalk outside, the surrounding block and the eight blocks beyond the site. From this vantage point, we add elements that do not exist in isolation but add to the overall experience. That convergence of individual components creates the most lasting impression on a building’s users. How are art and material reflected in your ideas about experience? TURAN We all have an innate appreciation for the fundamental qualities of elements that are handmade. When we look at historical buildings, we look at the use and quality of their materials. A Louis Kahn building is timeless because of how he 11

used materials. Art exists in how elements meet each other and how shadows are cast across surfaces. This gives substance to the architecture and makes it art rather than simply a building. JEFF The Center for Wellbeing in Winter Park, Florida, is arranged around an expansive, light filled space under an undulating wood ceiling. Medallions depicting themes of nature appear in the terrazzo floor. When one enters this space, its natural elements—wood, terrazzo, sunlight— are experienced as a whole. This space wasn’t part of the original program—we proposed and fought for it. We believe communal space breaks down barriers and gathers building users into a community. The art in the floor, walls and ceiling converge with views of surrounding gardens to encourage people to notice, stop and reflect. TURAN We bring in artwork and material compositions to be experienced, to have human affinity and invite discovery. Every context yearns for something. Cities want gardens and green spaces; suburban sites crave history and a sense the project didn’t happen yesterday. Even in high tech buildings, we see a desire for connection and permanence. Material and art are mechanisms to

achieve this. The Dillon in Raleigh, North Carolina, embraces the original materials of its warehouse district and incorporates elements from the building’s history as furnishings and to frame a small public park. Together, the stories of history and adaptive reuse combine with modern features that attract people to be a part of the urban continuum. JEFF When we approach a project in any context, we consider specific materials and forms that relate to that context. We then try to be inventive. We also look to the natural environment. Humans have deeply held affinities to natural materials and design that has affinity for the natural world. In the years since Individual to Collective was published, how has the firm changed? JEFF Our practice has become stronger and more integrated. Staff numbers have grown, but we have remained a size where Turan and I can touch all projects. We’ve gathered people around us who know how to infuse ideas into the work. They also recognize the importance, to us, of their participation in generating ideas as part of creating great architecture. We place hires right out of school into everyday interaction with Turan, myself and the firm’s design leaders. We bring experience to them, and they bring fresh thinking to us. Everyone has the resourcefulness and freedom to ask questions and challenge proposed designs. TURAN We now have a history of what was successful, what has resonated, what brought us the most satisfaction as a team of people who came together to create something. And things are changing—society, technology, education, workplaces and cities. Change makes for richer work. What better time to be an architect? What does the future hold? JEFF We have entrusted senior people to oversee day-to-day operations. In return, Turan and I 12

gain more time to ensure design quality remains paramount. We can also reflect on every project within our larger portfolio and find new ways to challenge ourselves and advance the things we believe in, such as the health and social wellbeing of the people who use our buildings. TURAN Our collective body of work has become a meaningful foundation because we’ve excruciated over these projects as part of their creation and obsessed over their meaning and success. We’re in a constant state of investigation and experimentation in designing future buildings. What we’ve accomplished, where we have failed or succeeded, these are valuable resources. JEFF Our projects are evenly distributed between office, academic, wellness and master planning. We recognize elements that work in one realm can inform the others. This crossover enables established models to be transformed beyond what can be accomplished in a sector-based studio system. And, because we aren’t restricted by style or typology, our work is more responsive to use, context and evolving ways of working and learning. TURAN We never intended the ideas we began with, that are represented in Individual to Collective, to be ensconced in time. They have evolved and matured to become more than architectural conventions—they are our convictions. Our leaders

and designers have embraced and furthered these ideas and moved the firm’s work forward in ways we never imagined. Jeff and I believe our best work lies ahead because it’s not just the two of us, but a group of people who have progressed our thinking and are pushing the work forward. What do you see as your legacy? JEFF It’s exciting to know we’ve created more than great buildings; we’ve created a firm with a very sustainable culture, where clients continue to recognize everyone here believes in doing great work in a way that is challenging and respectful of everyone involved. People are sometimes surprised we do so many different types of projects without studios focused on specific building types. Instead, we have a passionate group of thinkers who approach every challenge with intelligence, insight and open minds. TURAN Every creative person wants to be remembered by the people they’ve worked with, who’ve shared their thoughts, experienced their creative acts, and enjoyed, prospered and been in some way transformed by them and their work. I

believe Jeff and I have accomplished this. JEFF More than ever Turan and I realize that relationships are essential to us. Teaching and seeing people learn and grow is truly rewarding. I’m excited about the work and equally excited about the dedicated, passionate people who work alongside us. We have always practiced design as a team sport. Our ability to engage others in the process, to get them excited about the connection between ideas and a project, has contributed immeasurably to our sense of success. TURAN Plenty of architects see architecture as just the science, program and construction method of buildings, or even as fuel for the next project. I hope we instill in others a sense of the art of architecture, the concept behind the design, the care that has gone into selecting color and material, the detailing—all of the things that go into making a building more than a building. If we can ingrain this thinking in our designers and imbue them with a vision to aim that high, whether those individuals stay on to sustain the firm or take the thinking elsewhere, we will have created a lasting legacy.

CONTEXT & SCALE Façade analysis of the adjacent building fabric enabled a balanced response between existing context and a more contemporary expression of material scale, selection and patterning. The building’s two primary sides express different aspects of NC State’s programs. At the transit drop-off hub, located to the south adjacent to the historic Reynolds Coliseum, the design presents a proportional façade with traditional brick and new terracotta paneling to reflect the university’s foundation in natural arts and sciences. Glass and aluminum curtainwall on the building’s north side reflects programs in the technological arts and sciences. Between the two, a multilevel central atrium acknowledges the social arts and sciences. Students traverse a series of bioswales and native plantings daily and experience a fraction of the design’s sustainable features.

COMMUNITY The building establishes connections across the campus and with residential neighbors. To accommodate a student body with a high level of school spirit, exterior lawns inspire celebrations and game-day rallies that invite the community along. Across these spaces, student life, academic study and the surrounding community come together and acknowledge the University’s appreciation for its established relationship with the neighborhood.

INCLUSION The building’s interior brings together a slate of programs and spaces that serve diverse student communities and functions under the soaring sculpture of the institution’s Eagle mascot. The largest program elements are flexible, multipurpose event spaces and dining, part of a meeting and auditorium complex that can be configured to accommodate the entire freshmen class. Surrounding lawns and plazas merge outdoor and interior activities to support NCCU’s enthusiastic school spirit.

6 1 2

4 5

ENTRY LEVEL 56 North Carolina Central University Student Center 56

9 10 10 10

1 Commons 2 Dining 3 Café 4 Café Lounge 5 Games 6 Lounge 7 Welcome Center 8 Store 9 Student Services 10 Conference 11 Student Senate 12 Events 13 Pre-function 14 Rehearsal

11 1 12

10 14

UPPER LEVEL 57

76 Emory Student Center, Emory University 76

122