Duke University’s Penn Pavilion employs the vernacular and materialism of modern glass construction as a sensitive response to the Gothic Revival environment.
CHALLENGE:Add a more modern, yet respectful addition to the campus’ Gothic Revival architecture with the design of the Penn Pavilion at Duke University in Durham, N.C.
INFLUENCE:Duke regularly ranks among the top 20 best universities worldwide. The spacious campus consists of over 250 buildings. Some are organized along urban principles, some are scenically embedded in the picturesque parks and gardens of the university. Students call it a “Gothic Wonderland.”
SOLUTION:Architects Shepley Bulfinch employed the vernacular and materialism of modern glass construction as a sensitive response to the Gothic Revival environment. The structurally glazed system created provides a light, transparent counterpoint to the sculptural stone façades of the older buildings and their era. Parallel to this, the plinth of the pavilion, constructed from the same local stone as used for the adjacent façades of the West Campus, integrates itself into its surroundings. The concave glass shell of the façade seems almost to disappear, allowing views from the inside out and vice versa. It also integrates the solid grid-like façade of the existing structure into the surrounding wood- and parkland. This maximum transparency was achieved using a system developed by SCHOLLGLAS which features frameless glazing and vertical silicone joints that are only 15-mm wide. The sheets of glass are horizontally layered with only one subdivision across their height, making it possible to achieve panes which are approximately 4.19 m tall and have varying widths up to approximately 2.15 m.
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