Duke University
The Duke Lemur Center Habitat Enrichment - Phase I
Durham, NC
The Duke Lemur Center (DLC), a world-renowned facility located in the Duke University Forest, provides research and education leadership for the behavioral study and biological conservation of a wide variety of diurnal and nocturnal prosimian species.
The Duke Lemur Habitat Enrichment project included master planning for the entire 80+ acre site, space programming for the housing and natural forest environments of over 160 free-ranging and non-releasable diurnal lemurs, and the subsequent sustainable design and construction of the housing and natural habitat enclosures.
Sustainable design complements the DLC’s conservation mission; the new housing buildings are certified LEED Silver and were designed using holistic sustainable strategies such as maximizing the natural site features, designing an efficient thermal envelope and mechanical systems, and green roofing with native, drought-tolerant plantings. All of the buildings’ elements respect Duke University’s construction guidelines, which prioritize ease of maintenance and operation, and ensure that the buildings will perform for many generations.
