RESTORATION: NEW LIFE FOR A CONTAMINATED ENVIRONMENT CLEMSON UNIVERSITY ZUCKER FAMILY GRADUATE EDUCATION CENTER
Port cities are fascinating places, and Charleston is no exception. The endless cycle of regeneration and renewal is as consistent as the tides, evident in the layering of the built environment as well as in the city’s culture, identity, and history.
The old Charleston Naval Base, which operated as a hub of shipbuilding activity for the better part of a century, is a prime example. Once a marshland on the west bank of the Cooper River just upstream from the Atlantic Ocean, the property became a naval base in 1901, and was used to build and repair everything from nuclear submarines to paddleboats. When the base was decommissioned in 1995, the decades of shipbuilding left behind infrastructure and a number of historic buildings; it also left behind remnants of heavy industrial activities such as chromium plating, dry cleaning, battery storage, and munitions fabrication. The historic site was a brownfield: contaminated, abandoned, and unfit for many uses.
Revitalizing the land for a new chapter in Charleston’s history required a unique client, one whose mission would serve as a catalyst for new life, growth, and activity along the Cooper River. Clemson University turned out to be that unique client. By 2004, Clemson was developing the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI), a graduate-level program with an academic and research focus on “integrative approaches to restoration.” CURI’s mission, “to advance knowledge in integrative approaches to the restoration and sustainability of historic, ecological, and urban infrastructure resources and drive economic growth,” seemed tailor-made for the site. Recognizing the transformative potential of the program, the North Charleston City Council granted CURI 80 acres on the Charleston Naval Base site to help achieve its vision.
Early success came when the US Department of Energy awarded Clemson a $45 million grant in 2008 to build a facility dedicated to renewable energy research in the form of fullscale wind turbines. Clemson’s state-of-theart Wind Turbine Drive Train Facility opened in 2010. As CURI continued to advance its vision to “build a sustainable future through education, collaborative restoration research, and strategic partnerships,” LS3P and SmithGroup JJR joined the project team to develop a space program for the innovative new curriculum. Initial design efforts included design guidelines for development of the CURI campus, a building program, conceptual designs, and sustainability targets. Major goals included creating an environment to foster engagement of students, faculty, and research partners, and showcasing Clemson technologies for alternative energy systems.
As the program and conceptual designs progressed, the team worked with, not against, the site’s biggest constraint, turning the flood-prone and chemically challenged ground plane into an opportunity. The ground plane needed to be remediated and remain largely encapsulated, but was ideal for vehicular site circulation and parking. This condition inspired the formal and organizational strategy of vertical layering, and added rich possibilities to the ultimate design. CURI’s programs repurpose much of the industrial infrastructure from the historic port functions for new uses, and the strategy of preserving the ground plane for transport of large equipment by ship, rail, and tractor-trailer helps to avoid pedestrian conflicts. Academic space is elevated on a concrete podium above the ground plane, with access provided by elevators, stairs, and an enticing open-air waterfront ramp. In addition to raising the program spaces above the floodplain, the elevated vantage point maximizes views of the river and port. A variety of indoor and outdoor gathering spaces celebrate these views and visually connect students and faculty to the activities of the site. The roof plane provides another opportunity to take advantage of spectacular views. The design of the roof garden pays homage to South Carolina’s three major geographic areas, the Lowcountry, Midlands, and Upstate, through form and native plantings.
As a nod to the site’s industrial history, the form and materials of the new design echo the history of stacked shipping containers which are a familiar site along the waterfront. A transparent double-height cube anchors the southeast corner. Terracotta colored metal panel wraps the building, defining the outdoor learning space and upper story boardroom space. A linear slot carved at the east end of the wrapper frames a view from the boardroom of the Cooper River. The exterior cladding strategy integrates metal composite panels, concrete, and curtainwall to reference the industrial aesthetic of the naval yard while creating a sense of transparency and lightness. Rhythmic fenestration, coupled with the granularity of facade detailing (ribbons of corrugated metal panels, expansive swaths of curtainwall, long sloping entry ramp running the length of the building, massive exposed crossbracing at the parking level, and the interplay of mass and void) all create visual interest and a dynamic exterior. Carefully considered detailing asserts a horizontality which is suited to the long, low form and its riverside site.
Inside (and often outside), the 52,000 SF facility houses graduate electrical, computer, mechanical engineering and digital arts programs. The program includes offices, classrooms, conference rooms, café, gallery space, and outdoor gathering and learning spaces. An interior spine of transparent offices organizes the interior layout, which prioritizes collaboration and gathering spaces located along the southeastern facade to maximize views of the river. Expansive curtainwall allows natural light deep into the interior, while solar tubes provide additional natural light in the interior corridors.
Flexible classrooms with integrated technology encourage connectivity with the University’s main campus programs. Adjustable walls allow spaces to be combined into larger classrooms, or to open out to the gallery/ lobby areas. To foster engagement and crossdisciplinary interaction, seating areas in a variety of sizes and configurations throughout the facility support individual study, smallgroup meetings, and informal encounters which are critical to ideation. From informal seating to low workstations to “touchdown spaces,” these central gathering areas have waterfront views and are animated by the interplay of light and water reflected throughout the space. Several of these gathering spaces are study nooks carved out of the service core. These nooks, as well as the entry lobby, are defined by suspended wood trellis reclaimed from the warehouse which formerly occupied the site. In addition to defining the space and providing a sense of enclosure with a more intimate scale, these trellises provide a rich texture and a visual reminder of the site’s industrial past.
The porcelain tile flooring references weathered driftwood found on local beaches; the custom carpet abstracts the movement of an adjacent wind turbine testing facility. Exposed structural cross-bracing and exposed systems celebrate the industrial aesthetic. Energy-efficient lights cascading between the upper level and lower lobby fill the gallery on the main level, further interconnecting the spaces.
Underscoring its mission of restoration and sustainability, CURI is targeting LEED Gold certification for the building. This level of commitment to sustainable design requires both innovation and technology, approaches Clemson and the design team were enthusiastic about embracing. In addition to the significant environmental contribution of reclaiming a brownfield site, strategies such as the 8,000 square foot green roof, daylighting, and highperformance building systems all minimize energy consumption while creating a worldclass facility for students, faculty, and research partners.
The sustainable nature of the design not only supports the University’s focus on integrated, leading-edge academic programs for restoration, but also creates a lasting impact on the region as well: rejuvenating an underutilized but precious waterfront site, and giving it new life as a productive, inspiring, thriving space which will serve as a catalyst for activity and future development.
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