The new 35,000-square-foot (3,252-m2) Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise, or BRITE, addition to the existing Mary M.Townes Science Building at North Carolina Central University’s Science Complex in Durham, N.C.,was completed in late 2007.
Although connected to the Townes building, the intent was for BRITE to establish its own image within the complex and campus. According to Philip G. Freelon, FAIA, LEED AP, president of The Freelon Group, Durham, this led to a concept that respects the architectural character of the existing science complex by using similar materials, yet stands apart in scale and form.
“The BRITE building is an efficient arrangement of offices, circulation, lab support and labs from east to west respectively. The east elevation facing the Science Complex courtyard is a semitransparent curtainwall and is thought of as more expressive of the individual (faculty) and thus more contemplative and appropriately connected to the green space through its transparency,” Freelon said. “In contrast, the west elevation, conceived as a team environment and thus cloistered by a masonry shell, protects the interior classrooms and teaching lab environment from the west sun. Its vertical window pattern was derived from the geometry of an unfolded DNA strand, reflective of the buildings’ purpose, which teaches processes in biomanufacturing.”
Freelon noted that visibility was a driving factor for the planning of the building. The north end of the building was conceived as a gateway for the campus and a highly visible entrance for the BRITE building. “The north end of the building incorporates a 45-foot-
[14-m-] high portal in the form of a perforated metal canopy, which creates a distinct,high-tech aesthetic for the building and serves as a beacon for the university’s science complex.”
“The portal allows BRITE to have a significant presence along Lawson Street from both the east and the west,” Freelon continued. “Adjacent to the portal is the building entrance,which includes a two-story common space and monumental public stair. The sloped site, which drops towards the west by 15 to 30 feet [5 to 9 m] , gives the west and north elevation of the building an even more powerful presence.”
The canopy consists of 10,556 square feet(981 m2) of 0.05-aluminum perforated Belvedere panels coated in Silversmith on both sides from ATAS International Inc., Allentown, Pa. The canopy physically and aesthetically shields the building’s rooftop mechanical equipment.
North Carolina Central University BRITE Building, Durham, N.C.
Award: 2008 ATAS Project of the Year, Commercial Wall Division
Lead architect: The Freelon Group, Durham
Architect of record: O’Brien/Atkins Associates PA, Durham
General contractor: Turner Construction, Raleigh, N.C.
Structural engineer: GKC Associates PA, Durham
Distributor: Insulation Systems, Raleigh
Installer: SDS Corp., Apex, N.C.
Metal canopy: ATAS International Inc., Allentown, Pa.
