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Welcome to the Wilkinson Building!
After years of planning and construction, Duke Engineering is proud to announce the opening of the Wilkinson Building.
This transformational space embodies our vision for collaborative research and creative engineering education with three research neighborhoods bringing together faculty focused on advances in health, computing and the environment; centers for engineering entrepreneurship and innovation, and state-of-the-art design labs and flexible classrooms that expand our education space by 50 percent. Explore this landmark facility below.
The 150,000-square-foot Wilkinson Building sits at the intersection of the Schools of Engineering, Medicine and Arts & Sciences just steps from Duke’s historic West Campus. The building is named in honor of longtime supporters Jerry C. (E'67) and Beverly A. Wilkinson and their family (learn more).
The lobby of the Wilkinson Building features the Sartor Family Media Wall, the Bseisu Family Coffee Bar, a hologram projection room and terrific views of Duke Chapel.
Garage labs on the main level of the Wilkinson Building not only offer makerspace for engineering design teams, but garage doors that open onto a wide patio to facilitate work on large projects such as electric vehicles, monowheels and more.
The Wilkinson Building's four active-learning classrooms feature reconfigurable furniture, outlets and A/V technology to allow maximum flexibility for teaching, whether through traditional lectures or team-based, hands-on formats.
The active-learning classrooms include whiteboards on all walls.
The J. Stephen and Susan G. Simon Classroom and Theodore Kennedy Classroom are among the reconfigurable teaching spaces in the Wilkinson Building.
The Wilkinson Building’s 200-seat auditorium features state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and flexible seating to allow students to shift from lecture-based learning to tabletop teamwork.
The Learning Commons provides a place for students and faculty to study, mingle and collaborate.
The Duke Engineering Entrepreneurship initiative (“Duke EngEn”) will make its home in the Wilkinson Building, with a centrally located Sondland/Durant Center for Entrepreneurship serving students and faculty across campus who focus on delivering technological innovations and solutions to the marketplace.
The Christensen Family Center for Innovation provides space for engineering design programs and initiatives.
The Wilkinson Building’s research neighborhoods are designed to foster interaction, with wide, open hallways and shared conference spaces.
The Environment Research Neighborhood on the second floor of the Wilkinson Building brings together researchers focused on environmental health and sustainability.
A conference room on the second floor of the Wilkinson Building enjoys a picturesque view of Duke Chapel.
The Alan L. and Carol M. Kaganov Health Neighborhood on the third floor of the Wilkinson Building brings together interdisciplinary researchers whose work seeks to improve human health.
In the Computing and Intelligent Systems Neighborhood on the fourth floor, a graduate lounge features views of Gothic buildings on the historic West Campus.
The soaring skylight at the top of the Wilkinson Building streams light through the stairwell to floors below.
The fourth-floor Derrick Family Terrace features sweeping views of Duke Chapel, the Harrington Engineering Quad and the Duke University Medical Center campus. Tiles on the floor recognize every department chair who has served since the school's founding in 1939.
Welcome to the Wilkinson Building
Dean Ravi Bellamkonda on how the Wilkinson Building will transform the Duke Engineering experience for students and faculty alike.
3 Minutes
Designed for Active Learning
Duke Engineering junior Javier Franco (a construction intern on the Wilkinson Building) and undergraduate dean Linda Franzoni share their favorite educational spaces—from active-learning classrooms to “garage labs” for hands-on design.
2 Minutes
Neighborhoods for Research Innovation
With three floors bringing together faculty focused on health, computing and the environment, and a location that fosters cross-campus collaborations, the Wilkinson Building promises to accelerate advances in engineering research.
2 Minutes
A Hub for Engineering Entrepreneurship & Innovation
With new centers for students and faculty working to design and deliver tech-based innovations to society, the Wilkinson Building will be a hub for engineering entrepreneurship.
3.5 minutes
Wilkinson Tour: Director’s Cut
Enjoy a full tour of the Wilkinson Building with Duke Engineering Facilities Director Mitchell Vann.
18 minutes
Time Lapse: 2 Years in 2 Minutes
Watch the Wilkinson Building rise next to Duke's Bostock Library between 2018 and 2020.
2 minuteS
Architectural Perspectives
A video from Wilkinson Building architecture firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Read an interview with the architects to learn more about their insightful design decisions informed by conversations with Duke Engineering faculty, staff and students.
2 minutes
Art Collection Preview
Reflecting the creativity of engineering, the Wilkinson Building will be home to inspiring works of art from local, national and international artists. Get a sneak preview of what our galleries will hold in this video from the Duke Engineering Art Committee.
1 minute
Higher: The Vision (2018)
In this pre-construction video, President Vincent Price, Provost Sally Kornbluth and Dean Bellamkonda describe the vision behind Duke’s planned new engineering building.
2 minutes
News Highlights
October 15, 2020
Duke’s New Engineering Building Named to Honor Wilkinson Family
January 21, 2021
Construction Transforms Campus—and Students, Thanks to Internships
Building for the Future of Duke
Learn more about the new Wilkinson Building—named in honor of Jerry A. and Beverly C. Wilkinson and family—and see how you can add your name to the new facility with a gift of support at pratt.duke.edu/higher »