Burroughs Wellcome Fund Headquarters research triangle park , north carolina
Architect: Perkins and Will, Charlotte, NC
Facility Fact Sheet
Contractor: Knutson, Chicago, IL
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) headquarters is situated on the central TUCASI Campus of the Park (Triangle Universities Center for Advanced Studies, Inc.).
Groundbreaking: April 17, 1998 Staff occupancy: November 1999 Square Footage: 43,000 square feet, including the courtyard Floor Design: Brazilian Cherry Ceiling Height: 12 to 18 feet
Founded in 1959, the Research Triangle Park is one of the oldest and largest science parks operating in North America. Covering nearly 7000 acres, the Park is home to more than 170 research and development related organizations.
The BWF facility provides operational space, including 35 offices, for BWF staff and meeting space for the Fund and its affiliates involved in biomedical research, science education, and philanthropy. Perkins and Will of Charlotte, North Carolina, designed the building in the Italian Renaissance tradition. The basic plan features a central courtyard surrounded by clean geometrical forms. The exterior design is composed of vertical rectangles surmounted by circles and building walls primarily of tan Indiana Limestone and rose-colored Indiana sandstone. The contemporary plan combines simple geometrical forms allowing the building to achieve a monumental appearance while maintaining simplicity of design.
Lobby The Lobby serves as a place to greet visitors and as additional reception space. The Lobby showcases memorabilia from BWF’s history.
Library The 1,400-square-foot Library displays books, magazines, and journal subscriptions related to the Fund’s activities. The Library also functions as a waiting area for visitors and award finalists. Internet access is available in the Library. Library
Courtyard The heart of the building is the Courtyard that was designed to obtain a natural transition from season to season and highlights a garden of native plants. The Courtyard is bounded on all four sides by an arcade composed of the same design elements used on the main entry portico, the vertical rectangle surmounted by a circle. The square form of the courtyard transitions to an octagonal design to accommodate the four planting beds and the grass lawn, and then to a circle at the center—the fountain. The Formal Loggia, Library, and interior offices overlook the Courtyard. Courtyard
Conference Wing The Main Corridor of the Conference Wing was designed wide and spacious to accommodate meeting functions, receptions, and poster displays. Wall down lights are installed to easily view exhibitions. Built-in buffets line the corridor between the Board Room and the Multipurpose Room. Conference rooms have projected sound reinforcement, laptop interfaces, video and sound recording capabilities and projection systems. A small catering kitchen is available for serving prepared meals. Guests may use the Business Center as a temporary office space.
Voron Conference Room This 850-square-foot room was designed to provide flexible conference space incorporating modular-type furniture and teleconferencing technology. The room seats up to 20.
Board Room The most distinctive room in the building, the oval-shaped Board Room
Board Room occupies 1,500 square feet. The grand oval mahogany table was designed by FCI, Inc. of Chicago and incorporates hidden laptop interfaces at each seat. The table provides seating for 22 and additional seating for 18 on banquettes along the oval walls. The room was designed with optimum acoustics, sound amplification, and full multimedia systems.
Multipurpose Room The Multipurpose Room provides 1,500 square feet of flexibility with floor electrical connections. The room was designed to accommodate various meeting or dining configurations and can seat up to 85. The room has full multimedia capability.
Formal Loggia Identical in scale to the Library at 1,400 square feet, this
Formal Loggia
More information about BWF is available at www.bwfund.org. Facility Manager Glenda Oxendine, FMP Burroughs Wellcome Fund PO Box 13901 21 T.W. Alexander Drive Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3901
room has a barrel-vaulted ceiling that is nearly 19 feet at the top of the vault. Also, like the Library, the Formal Loggia serves various functions, including a dining area that can accommodate up to 24 people. Gas fireplaces and seating at the ends of the room accommodate fireside chats and seating for up to 35 people.
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is an independent private foundation dedicated to advancing the biomedical sciences by supporting research and other scientific and educational activities. BWF, which is governed by a Board of Directors composed of distinguished scientists and business leaders, is not affiliated with any corporation.