Garden Gateway,

Sarah p. DUke Gardens

Durham, north carolina

The Sarah P. Duke Gardens are a cherished part of Duke University’s culture and one of the country’s few large botanical gardens at the heart of an academic campus. The transparent architecture of the new structures reimagines the facility as a gateway to the expansive gardens and the entire university campus.

Modern metal panels, aluminum fins, patterned glass, cedar siding and glue-lam timbers translate existing barn-like structures for the new buildings. An elongated form opens to a patterned-glass trellis that covers a grand entry plaza. This trellis heralds access to the expanded gardens and an axial arrangement of pedestrian paths, courtyards, water features and a new event lawn.

The Garden Gateway buildings expand learning, retail, gallery, administrative and event opportunities to enhance education and community outreach programs for a growing visitor population and roster of celebrations. A preserved view to Duke’s historic chapel, facilitated by the addition’s low-slung roof structures, bridges past with a present.