BD+C: How is Duke’s capital projects program faring in this economy?
John Pearce: Compared to most, we are in good shape. On the university side of the campus, we finished most of our new building projects in 2008. We have had to slow down on building restorations, mostly to internal mechanical systems, but we continue to do feasibility studies on wish lists from the 10 schools on campus.
On the health systems side of the campus, we have two major projects: a cancer center and a major hospital expansion, about $600 million of work. A new $50 million education building for the medical school is also about to start construction.
With our master plan of 2000 in place, our trustees decided to link everything—financial projections, master planning, capital budgeting, etc.—so today it’s a much more report-based, developed approval process.
BD+C: Are students and faculty involved in capital projects?
JP: All of the board committees have students, faculty, and trustees; each committee reports to the Board of Trustees. Certain committees, including Facilities & Environment, have formal approval authority. On the design side, Duke has an internal review committee that meets every two weeks to deal with all the design issues for projects, with input from all of these groups. In the business and finance area, there are students who are very active, and we have one graduate student who is very big on sustainability.
BD+C: Speaking of sustainability, Duke has 26 LEED-registered projects, 16 of which are certified, including four Silvers, one Gold, and one Platinum. What is Duke’s policy on sustainability?
JP: In 1993, I prepared a set of design guidelines for the university, which have been updated over the years. We deal with a 50-year building, so you have to speak to the issue of quality materials and systems at every level—exterior walls, windows, roofs, mechanical systems, etc. When it came to introducing LEED to the campus, in 2002, we had a head start, and we made it immediately clear that we wanted a specific level of quality.
At first, we had to concentrate mostly on the site design requirements. We handle stormwater on a campuswide basis, and we’ve also separated our parking from our buildings, so this was a struggle for us because of how the USGBC defined the site. More recently, we’ve been concentrating on energy issues, such as the conversion from coal to natural gas and the use of central chilled distribution. These things don’t usually get us a lot of LEED points. Nevertheless, our standard is LEED Silver.
Duke has also signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment to be carbon neutral by 2024, which happens to be the centennial of the founding of Duke University.
BD+C: Are you requiring the use of BIM on projects?
JP: We use design-build, and in some cases, those firms have suggested using BIM, but we have not required it. I think the jury is still out on BIM. My reaction is that a BIM system often makes a project design look more finished than it really is. It’s almost a gimmick. I find sometimes the project managers feel that BIM makes their job easier, but I worry that there may not be enough architecture and design requirements in the models. We’re being careful with BIM. It will probably happen, and it’s great not having ducts running through your steel beams, but I’m not sure about it as an upfront requirement.
BD+C: The $64 Question: How can design firms get work at Duke?
JP: I get calls from architects all the time, and the first thing I say is, Do your homework! Be serious. Find out about us. My website has our Action Plans, so don’t ask me what we have in the works—it’s all there (http://architect.duke.edu/planning/master_plan.html). My vendor list is 120 firms long, and we probably use 25 well-known firms.
Second, make sure the principal shows up for the interview, not just the marketing professional. I try to meet with firms, because I do enjoy learning from them, but often the marketer is pretty inexperienced. Who is the person who’s going to be dealing with the dean and the trustees? That person needs to be available. We interview in the standard way, and you can tell who knows what they’re talking about.
Also, you have to understand how the academic environment works. It’s a hydra-headed entity with many customers, all having various beliefs as to who is making the decision. It’s not the corporate world, where you might get a single decision maker.
Finally, you’d be absolutely amazed at how bad people’s references come through. References really need to be clean. You have to make sure that the person to be contacted will give the reference you desire.
All I want to know is what you can do specifically for Duke, based on your firm’s experience. Send a letter with the type of project you’re interested in and what projects you’ve done in that area—and send it electronically only.
BD+C: That’s great advice. Any other gems?
JP: I find that architects in particular, perhaps less so with contractors and engineers, often will give up too easily. They have this belief that if they just walk through the door they’ll get a project with us. If your firm wants to target Duke, or any major university, you’ve got to show that you really want work with us.
Related Stories
Architects | Nov 2, 2015
NCARB: Interactive tool helps architects prep for exam
The Transition Calculator for the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) will help licensure candidates transition from ARE 4.0 to ARE 5.0.
Architects | Nov 2, 2015
China Accord: Design firms sign pledge to tackle climate change
52 companies will collaborate to reduce carbon emissions.
BIM and Information Technology | Oct 29, 2015
MIT develops ‘river of 3D pixels’ to assemble objects
The Kinetic Blocks can manipulate objects into shapes without human interference.
Architects | Oct 27, 2015
Top 10 tile trends for 2016
Supersized tile and 3D walls are among the trending tile design themes seen at Cersaie, an exhibition of ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings held in Bologna, Italy in October.
Architects | Oct 27, 2015
Architecture at Zero 2015 design competition names award winners
Entrants created family-style student residential plans for the University of California, San Francisco Mission Bay campus. All projects needed to be as close to net-zero as possible.
Architects | Oct 22, 2015
AIA: Architecture firms reporting progress on achieving carbon reduction targets as part of the 2030 Commitment
The AIA 2030 2014 Progress Report highlights an increase in design projects, gross square footage, and net-zero energy projects.
Architects | Oct 21, 2015
Strong rebound for Architecture Billings Index
Business conditions continue to be weak in the Northeast, but the other regions are in good shape.
Museums | Oct 20, 2015
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman Wilson House finds new home at Arkansas museum
Crystal Bridges Museum reconstructed the 61-year-old Usonian house and will open it to the public in November.
Architects | Oct 20, 2015
Four building material innovations from the Chicago Architecture Biennial
From lightweight wooden pallets to the largest lengths of CLT-slabs that can be shipped across North America
University Buildings | Oct 16, 2015
5 ways architecture defines the university brand
People gravitate to brands for many reasons. Campus architecture and landscape are fundamental influences on the college brand, writes Perkins+Will's David Damon.