ocean conservation center...

location: Beaufort, NC
est. completion date: October 2006
project team:
Frank Harmon
Matt Luck

project statement...

Located on Piver's Island at the head of the Beaufort Inlet, the Ocean Conservation Center provides state-of-the-art teaching facilities for Duke University's Marine Lab, while concurrently identifying and demonstrating innovative, environmentally sound design and construction technology. It also serves as a beacon for sustainability, incorporating the built with the natural environment in the context of Piver's Island, the Rachel Carson Estuarine Research Reserve, Gallants Channel, the Cape Lookout National Seashore, Beaufort Inlet, and the historic town of Beaufort. Program requirements included three primary spaces: laboratories, a lecture hall, and a commons overlooking Beaufort Channel.

progress...

The Center’s angular design responds to its site along the edge of Piver's Island, where it enjoys southwest breezes blowing in from the channel and creates an open, inner courtyard for the campus. The channel side of the 5000-square-foot building features a large, wooden porch just outside of the glass-enclosed common area, which provides panoramic views of the natural surroundings. Building materials include wood, wood shingles, glass, and cement panels. As a gold LEED® -certified building, the Center features photovoltaic cells, geothermal heating and cooling, and recycled and local materials wherever possible. The wood-shingled exterior complements the coastal context. Landscaping will include a large, new dune, which will direct the wind over the building, rather than directly at it, and protect other landscaping features.

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