Awards: 2009 AIA North Carolina Merit Award; 2007 AIA Triangle Merit Award.
Clark Nexsen (formerly Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee) provided the master planning for the Northern Wake Campus and was chosen as the architect for Building D, a 75,000 SF classroom and office building. The design team continued to use a planning strategy that layers the site from the outside in so that automobiles remain isolated along the perimeter, while campus pedestrian pathways engage open space and the lush wetlands of the site’s inner core. Building D offers 29 flexible classrooms and labs accommodate a variety of programming needs and were designed to be as interchangeable as possible. A video teleconferencing classroom allows classes to be shared between campuses. The building also includes a digital age bookstore with limited shelf space and a coffee bar and patio space overlooking a pond. The Northern Wake Campus is the first all-LEED multi-building community college campus in the nation.
Building D is LEED Gold certified. Sustainable features include occupancy sensors, natural daylighting, a storm water management plan, water efficient landscaping, water use reduction, construction waste management, recycled content, low-emitting materials and regional materials.