“Collaboration Station,” a feature in the May 2011 issue of University Business magazine, discusses the design of collaborative study spaces in higher education. Ed Gomes of Duke University talks about the Duke Link, the interactive teaching and learning space designed by Shepley Bulfinch which opened in 2008, noting that the project “was about creating an atmosphere in which people can experiment.”

Since the Link opened in 2008 it has attracted significant attention from institutions of higher education and architects across the US. Ed Gomes discussed the Link’s creation in a ...[more]

With its cafe and generous space, the glass-walled Pavilion is a wildly popular destination campus destination. The space evolved to embody a concept we call “safe space”: an environment that fosters comfort, honesty, and trust. The Pavilion sits near Duke’s iconic chapel, a subtle nod to the notion of library as inspirational space. Conversation and collaboration flow unhindered between the Pavilion and Perkins Library. Flexibility of time is integral to safe space, where formal and and informal meetings are neither limited or prolonged. This notion of flexible time takes the well-known “third place” concept a step further by extending and encouraging ...[more]

DURHAM, NC – Duke Law School’s new Star Commons has been recognized for its highly sustainable design and operations, receiving LEED certification from the US Green Building Council. The light-filled Star Commons is highly energy-efficient, with vapor barriers for heat conservation and high-performance glazing. Great care was taken to recycle a high percentage of construction debris from the project, which also emphasized the use of materials low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The 4,000 s.f. Commons was part of a larger addition and renovation project for the law school, which included a renovation of ...[more]

DURHAM, NC – US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy was the keynote speaker at the dedication last week for Duke University Law School’s new Star Commons and newly renovated Goodson Law Library. Joining him on stage for the event were University President Richard Brodhead and Law School Dean David Levi.

More than 500 students, faculty, staff, and alumni filled the Commons for the event. In his remarks, Dean Levi noted, “We now have facilities that match the strength of our faculty and students. As spectacular as this building is, we are most proud of the community it symbolizes and the work it facilitates.”

The project, completed on time and under budget for ...[more]

Shepley Bulfinch’s latest project on the Duke University campus is the subject of an article in today’s issue of the Duke University Law School paper, “The Devil’s Advocate”. In the article, Professor Tom Metzloff, co-chair of the school’s building committee, unveiled plans for the design and construction of the Star Commons, an addition to the law school building.

The new Commons will provide the school with public space, including casual seating for 150 on the main floor and, as a forum for major public speaking events, seating for up to 500.

It is scheduled for completion at the end of 2008.

DURHAM, NC – The Winter 2009 edition of Duke Law Magazine makes it clear: Law School faculty, students, staff, and alumni are all reveling in the new J. Michael Goodson Library and Star Commons. In the article, “From Library to Commons” writer Forrest Norman recaps the building’s November 8 dedication, which included a keynote address by US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Duke President Richard Brodhead is quoted as saying “When you reach the point where a great law school has a great building, you realize it wasn’t just an ornament. It really is an enabler of things.”

In the words of Duke Law alumnus George Krouse, “The combination of this ...[more]

Shepley Bulfinch is designing a home for Philadelphia University’s new College of Design, Engineering, and Commerce, which has just been announced.

The new academic building will house an ambitious program, defined by the university as a “revolutionary, transdisciplinary curriculum that retains the core learning of each discipline while forging new collaborations between the fields of design, engineering, and business.”

The new 40,000 s.f. building will be located near two other Shepley Bulfinch projects on the Philadelphia University campus: Gutman Library (1993) and Kanbar Campus Center (2006). The firm’s other recent cross-disciplinary learning environments in higher education ...[more]