Higher Education
Lilly Library
Client
Lechase
Project Owner
Duke University
Location
Durham, North Carolina
Project Value
Industry
Higher Education
Account Executive(s)
Tom Thomas, Christopher Segovia
Services Provided
Proposal Development |
Renderings & Animations |
Higher Education
Lilly Library
Client
Lechase
Project Owner
Duke University
Location
Durham, North Carolina
Project Value
Industry
Higher Education
Account Executive(s)
Tom Thomas, Christopher Segovia
Services Provided
Proposal Development |
Renderings & Animations |
Project Overview
The Lilly Library renovation and expansion represented a significant investment in Duke University's historic East Campus. The project preserved the library's signature Georgian architecture while modernizing the interior and expanding the footprint by 78 percent, from 31,500 square feet to 56,300 square feet. The expanded facility introduced additional seating, collaborative study spaces, and technology-equipped project rooms designed to support a new generation of student and faculty research. With a project of this scale and historic sensitivity, the client needed a compelling pursuit package that communicated the vision clearly to university stakeholders. PRESWERX was engaged to develop the proposal, renderings, and animations.
Client Challenges
The client faced a pursuit environment where the complexity of a historic renovation had to be translated into a clear, compelling narrative for a discerning academic owner. Key challenges included:
• The project involved a historic structure, requiring the team to balance preservation requirements with modern programming needs in every element of the pursuit.
• A 78 percent increase in square footage demanded visual content that communicated scale clearly to stakeholders not fluent in construction documentation.
• The client needed to differentiate its approach in a selection environment that would scrutinize both technical competence and sensitivity to the historic character of the building.
Communicating these dimensions required a coordinated visual and written pursuit strategy.
Scope of Work
PRESWERX produced a full pursuit package for the Lilly Library renovation, tailored to the specific demands of a historic academic project on a prominent university campus. The team developed proposal content that framed the client's approach to balancing historic preservation with modern programming goals. Architectural renderings captured the restored Georgian facade alongside the new addition, giving stakeholders a clear picture of the expanded footprint. Animated walkthroughs brought the interior spaces to life, highlighting the collaborative study areas and technology-equipped rooms central to the project's programming. Each deliverable was crafted to support a cohesive, confident presentation to the university's selection team.
PRESWERX Approach
PRESWERX approached the Lilly Library pursuit as a storytelling challenge. The client had a sophisticated project to communicate to a discerning academic owner, and every deliverable needed to reinforce a single, consistent message about the team's capability and care.
• PRESWERX developed proposal language that positioned the client's preservation expertise alongside its capacity to deliver complex, phased construction on an active university campus.
• Renderings were produced at a level of detail that conveyed both the historic sensitivity of the restoration and the quality of the new addition, giving the owner confidence in the design direction.
• Animations translated the expanded floor plan into an intuitive walkthrough that removed ambiguity for non-technical stakeholders evaluating the project's interior programming.
The result was a pursuit package that gave the client's team a clear, confident voice going into the selection.
Results Delivered
PRESWERX delivered a complete pursuit package calibrated to the expectations of a major research university. Each element was held to a standard that matched the prominence and complexity of the project.
• The proposal provided a focused narrative that connected the client's qualifications directly to the historic and programmatic complexity of the renovation, giving reviewers a clear picture of the team's approach.
• Renderings delivered a photorealistic view of the restored exterior and modernized interior, reinforcing the project's dual commitments to preservation and contemporary functionality.
• Animations gave the selection team an immersive experience of the expanded library, translating technical scope into an accessible visual story that resonated with both academic and administrative stakeholders.
The client entered the selection with a pursuit package that clearly communicated the quality, care, and expertise the project demanded.
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