Duke Fine-Tuning Plans to Develop New Campus
Saturday, October 4, 2008
DURHAM, NC -- The Duke University Board of Trustees on Saturday approved the scope and concept for Phase I of Duke’s new campus along Campus Drive.
This first phase will address areas of highest need, said Duke Executive Vice President Tallman Trask III. This includes about 500 bed spaces for sophomore, junior and senior undergraduates in suite-style residence halls, with each hall expected to house 40 to 75 students.
Phase I also will include new space for the visual arts departments; the languages, literatures and cultural studies departments, the John Hope Franklin Institute and related programs; new classrooms; a library information commons; and dining, recreation and other services that will serve the needs of this campus community.
During the fall, Duke officials will seek input from students, faculty, staff, alumni, neighbors and others about what specifically should be included in Phase I. Officials anticipate that architects will be selected to design specific buildings before the end of the calendar year.
Dean and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education Steve Nowicki said he will be seeking input from students “to help us understand which set of programs provide the critical mass, animation and integration needed to achieve a vibrant living-learning community.”
Phase I is estimated to include more than a half-million square feet of academic, residential and social space at a cost of about $400 million. Construction will be near the intersection of Campus Drive and Anderson Street, primarily north of Campus Drive. Infrastructure work could begin as early as summer 2009.
“We also intend to complete the roadwork along Campus Drive and Anderson Street during the first phase. This will include new bike lanes along Campus Drive and elsewhere on campus to encourage more walking and biking by students and others,” Trask said. “We want Duke to be a model of sustainability, and one way to do that is to make it easier for our students and others to walk or bike to where they are going.” All of the buildings will be designed and constructed to be low-energy and resource-efficient to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building standards.
“A minimum of LEED Silver certification is the target for all construction, with some buildings to be identified for a higher goal,” Trask said. “We are planning this expansion with a high degree of environmental sensitivity, including the siting of the project and careful attention to protecting and expanding natural areas.” Programs now housed along Campus Drive will be relocated permanently or temporarily during the construction process. Trask indicated that Duke would provide assistance to people willing to preserve and relocate the Campus Drive houses and return them to owner-occupied residences.
Duke officials have indicated the “new” campus will better connect the West and East campuses and bring coherence to the overall campus experience over time.
In other business, the trustees heard a report that Duke Management Company (DUMAC), which manages Duke University’s endowment and other investment assets, achieved a return of 6.2 percent on the university’s investments in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2008. The investment returns and new gifts to the university’s endowment brought its market value to $6.1 billion.
