Surface 678 provided design service for all exterior spaces and public streetscape for the redevelopment of seven abandoned tobacco warehouse and manufacturing buildings into a downtown mixed-use environment. The site plan and landscape architecture responds to the different programmed uses of each building. The buildings accommodate retail, commercial and residential space, an Amtrak station and are tied together by courtyards and streetscape spaces. The State’s largest adaptive reuse project integrates stormwater devices in a series of landscaped sand filters and detention gardens that enhance the urban courtyard setting. Working with Integrated Water Strategies, Surface 678 designed roof and plaza surface drainage systems to store runoff in two underground cisterns where it is then re-circulated to supply irrigation and recharge a courtyard fountain. All spaces have been designed to complement the industrial character of the space by using similar materials and simple detailing while the streetscape design takes its cues from the City of Durham standards. Metal sculptures built from salvaged industrial components will be integrated throughout the project.
