RESEARCH TRIANGLE, NC The Durham Innovation District (Durham.ID) has chosen Duda|Paine Architects to design two mixed-use office and technology focused buildings at the 15-acre, city-centered live-work-play hub. Currently labeled as the North and South office buildings, the new structures share a mission to further accommodate the burgeoning demand of innovative tenants downtown. Together, these Innovation District projects help usher in a new era of development for the region.

Longfellow Real Estate Partners, which is leading the Durham.ID campus, made its selection based on Duda|Paine's depth of experience in design for working and living environments. The firm is headquartered just steps away from the building site, and its proximity gives the firm's architects unique insight into a project that is energizing the growth and dynamism of downtown Durham, North Carolina.

Design highlights include:

The building's design responds to its industrial warehouse context while using innovative materials, such as metal panels and high performance glass, which speak to the Innovation District's forward-thinking vision.

A shared plaza between the buildings connects to Morris Green, which will remain a permanent open space on the corner of Fernway Avenue and Morris Street.

Along Morris Street, considered Durham.ID's 'Main Street,' a continuous arcade with ground floor retail will engage the street and nurture a lively pedestrian environment.The project is being designed to U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver standards, seeking innovative solutions to improve our environment and the community.

"Durham continues to attract best-in-class businesses and researchers, and with the addition of the North and South buildings, our design aims to shape exciting new experiences and foster continued development right in our backyard," said Turan Duda, Founding Principal of Duda|Paine Architects. "These new buildings are a great opportunity to enhance the skyline of Durham's booming downtown and contribute to the city we call home."

Longfellow Managing Partner Adam Sichol said, "Duda|Paine's acclaimed talents and deep appreciation of the Bull City made it a natural choice for this important expansion of what is quickly developing into one of the nation's premier urban mixed use destinations."

To date, execution of the Durham.ID master plan has primarily involved the adaptive reuse of existing buildings, such as the transformations of the Carmichael Warehouse into the Triangle's first urban-located Class-A lab building and of the 1916 Imperial Building into a sleek home for the Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative. Construction is slated to begin in Q3 2016 with completion expected in the Spring of 2018.