PUTMAN GARDENS
Duke University CampusDurham, North Carolina
Design Development & Construction Documentation
Autumn 2022
Throughout the legends of history, the forest has been a landscape where individuals have entered in hopes of finding a more complete, ideal version of themselves.
Evoking the spirit of Duke University as a university in the forest, the redesign of Putman Garden seeks to enhance the transformative pursuit of knowledge and understanding through the creation of space that encourages group discourse and community-building, accommodates individual study and introspection, and promotes formal educational experiences.
Rather than erasing what already exists, the proposed design interweaves the pre-existing architecture, cultural landscape designed by Carol Johnson, and the bordering mesic forest into a coherent form. The synthesis of these seemingly opposing elements results in a space where people can develop and understanding of themselves and the world they live in while continuously rediscovering a sense of vigor for the day ahead.
Connectivity between architecture, cultural landscape, and forest is achieved through form layout that reinforces and extends the strong geometry of the Levine Science Research Center and the Duke Engineering Design Pod into the landscape. Weaving and intertwining around these rigid, geometric edges are curvilinear lines that flow around, through, and from the existing retaining walls designed by Carol Johnson. Repetition of materials and patterns within the curvilinear form reinforce the overall cohesion of the proposed design as well as guide and direct visitors through the landscape.
Through engagement with Putman Gardens as a part of the greater campus experience, it is the hope of the design that individuals will emerge from Duke University as realized, engaged, and empowered contributors to society.
Construction Details
A major component in the design of Putman Gardens was the process of construction detailing. The iterative development of details was integral to the development of the overall design in that it provided an opportunity to explore and study the elements of the master plan in greater depth. Initially, the schematic design informed what details needed to be developed, however, it was the details that informed the final configuration of the design scheme. Focusing on details also allowed for the development of features, such as saw-scored warning strips at the top and bottom of stairs, which promoted overall comfort, safety, and accessibility for different user groups.
The Meandering Pergola
Following the Tupelo-lined, meandering path toward Duke University’s Putman Gardens, one will enter the space through a curved pergola. At first, the central gardens are only partially seen, visible through breaks in an understory planting composed of Witch Hazel, Bottlebrush Buckeye, and Spicebush. An unsettling, mysterious allure pulls the guest under and through the structure.
Steel I-Beams protrude from the earth along the strong trunks of Tulip-Poplar and Tupelo. On one side of the path, the cold steel contrasts with the faded, yet warm hues of a Duke stone retaining wall. This artifact from the past rests against a backdrop of mature mesic forest like an old stone wall one would serendipitously discover while wandering through the woods. For a moment, with the sound of Autumn leaves crunching underfoot and that dappled sunlight making its way through the tree canopy and the wood purlins overhead, it feels as if you’re immersed in a forested landscape.
Turning the bend, the wood purlins above begin to rise, as if weightless in comparison to the steel members they’re affixed to, until the entire structure itself opens upon and frames an expansive view of Putman Gardens. The bright stems of Red-Osier Dogwood emerge and rise above the muted yellow and green meadow in the distance. Here, looking out from the threshold into Putman Gardens, one can find comfort and rejuvenation.