Project Description

Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee completed Northern Wake Phase 1A in 2006. This phase added Building A, an administrative building, Building B, which houses a library and classrooms,  and the Regional Plant on the westernmost portion of the site. The unique qualities of this site provided the impetus to reconceptualize the quintessential college quadrangle; in this scheme, wetlands + meadows = courtyard quads. Buildings are formed as a perimeter filtering that separates vehicular and pedestrian realms on this primarily commuter campus. In future phases, buildings will be strung along the wetland fingers to the east, creating complex indoor-outdoor relationships. 

The material selection responds to both program and site conditions, while valuing longevity and durability. Concrete masonry units and glass-fiber reinforced concrete panels provide a strong base for the building and anchor it to the site’s undulating topography. The upper levels are comprised of aluminum and glass curtain wall, lending a sense of transparency to the buildings. An aluminum composite panel structure frames the curtain wall and entry.

Sustainability was a key factor in the design of the building systems and choice of materials—structural steel framing, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and systems. Phase 1A is LEED certified. The Northern Wake Campus is the first All-LEED campus in North Carolina and one of the first in the nation.

Sustainable Features

• Stormwater management plan
• Natural daylighting
• Controllability of systems
• Water efficient landscaping
• Water use reduction
• Construction waste management
• Recycled content
• Low-emitting materials
• Regional materials