Can a branded space help make research salient and collaborative? The Duke Ruppert Commons, or “The Edge” as it came to be named, fosters intensive interdisciplinary faculty and student research. The project built upon the success of the Duke Link, which opened in 2008. Hosting a variety of workspaces and technology resources, the Edge allows users to utilize areas for everything from quiet exploration to dynamic collaboration.

As part of a comprehensive renovation of the first floor of Bostock Library on Duke’s West Campus—Dan Vlahos Design was tapped to participate in the project as part of an interdisciplinary design team consisting of architects, interior designers, planners who worked alongside faculty, students and staff from Duke to develop the design solutions. The entire floor was being reconfigured into a new space that will allow the Libraries to meet the growing needs of interdisciplinary, team-based, and data-driven research at Duke. 

Credits—

Architecture Firm: Shepley Bulfinch
Principal Architect: Stephen Erwin, AIA
Environmental Branding and Graphic Design: Dan Vlahos
Signage and Environmental Graphic Design: Anna Farrington

Press—

New Research Commons Gets a Name, The Edge, Duke University Libraries, 2014

Coming Soon to Bostock Library: The Research Commons, 2014

FILED IN: Brand Design