News Release

Trustees Give Go-Ahead for Plaza Project

(From the Duke News Service) The Duke University Board of Trustees on Friday approved the construction of a new 40,000-square-foot West Campus plaza to replace the existing Bryan Center walkway.

With growing demand for outdoor performance and gathering space by students, alumni and others, the plaza will accommodate a variety of activities, including large-scale concerts and performances by student groups, as well as university ceremonies and alumni events. Both fixed and movable furniture will populate the space and encourage diverse social interactions.

"The plaza has the potential to invigorate social life on Duke’s West Campus for an emerging generation of students," said Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead. "It will be a natural gathering place, and will enable new levels of engagement among students, faculty and other members of the Duke community."

Located at the crossroads of Duke’s West Campus, the plaza will connect the Bryan Center and the West Union Building to the main residential quad. Groundbreaking is scheduled to be in May, and the plaza, whose cost is to not exceed $10 million, is expected to be ready for use by fall 2006. Access to the Bryan Center and student services will be maintained during construction.

The plaza’s contemporary design blends the outdoor environment with student social space, providing a multi-functional area with a variety of opportunities for student engagement. A main stage for the arts, dining, small and large group gathering nodes, wireless access and a "mist fountain" will highlight the pedestrian space.

The original plans for the Joseph M. and Kathleen Price Bryan University Center -- opened in 1982 -- called for landscaping and other amenities in the large open space between the Bryan Center, Kilgo Quad, West Union and Page Auditorium at the heart of West Campus. Various factors, instead, led to the construction of a narrow walkway to meet basic safety requirements and to enable traffic flow to the Bryan Center.

In 2002, Duke commissioned a study of possible improvements to the area, and found that students perceived the Bryan Center as "out of the way" despite its proximity to the residential and academic quads and Duke Chapel. An idea to create a broad plaza that would unite the student center buildings with other elements of West Campus grew out of that study.

The plaza was designed by Hargreaves Associates, a landscape architectural firm known for award-winning projects such as the Sydney Olympics 2000 site and Parque do Tejo e Trancão in Portugal. The firm has produced work for Drexel University, the College of Santa Fe and the University of Cincinnati.

Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta, who is heading up the project’s fund-raising efforts, said students, faculty, administrators and trustees have expressed support for the project.

"Creating informal opportunities for contact -- especially among students and faculty -- will help bridge the gap between academics and life outside the classroom and enable students to enjoy a more integrated collegial experience," Moneta said. "This is an exciting endeavor we fully expect many alumni and friends to support on behalf of our students."

In other business, the trustees approved the construction of a second energy-efficient chilled water plant near the intersection of Circuit and LaSalle drives. The plant will provide air conditioning for many existing and new buildings, including the French Science Center that is now under construction.

The first chilled water facility, completed in 2001, is expected to be fully committed by the end of 2005.

For more information contact: Eric Van Danen | (919) 684-3567 | eric.vandanen@duke.edu