NCCU BROADCASTING STUDIO


Durham, north carolina
This project transforms a once cluttered, single-purpose space into a modern, high-tech, multifunctional studio that meets the evolving needs of the mass communications department. Thoughtful space planning repositions the studio, establishing a direct link to the building lobby and giving the studio director clear oversight of both visitors and students. Increased transparency enhances the studio’s visibility, allowing students and passersby to observe its operations. Materials were carefully selected to reflect the university’s brand, bring warmth to the formerly bare masonry walls, and enhance spatial connections. An ACM-wrapped portal leads to a stained wood wall, highlighted by an “ON-AIR” sign that draws attention to the studio’s activity. This wood feature invites people into the television studio, which is further transformed by an acrylic wrap that evokes the wings of NCCU’s Eagle mascot. Though the studio’s footprint remains unchanged, it now serves as an open, dynamic learning environment that reveals the broadcasting infrastructure.
Program
EDUCATION

Status
COMPLETE

Awards + Recognitions
2023
Aspire desing award Interior Architecture citation

2020
NOMA Phil Freelon design Award Design Citation

Credits
North Carolina Central University’s Broadcast Studio serves as the campus’ digital communication source and as a vital, hands-on teaching tool for communication majors. The studio promotes and serves the university through campus newscasts, a YouTube channel, mini-sitcoms, athletics marketing, and other unique media offerings, all of which enable students to learn about communications through firsthand experience—both behind and in front of the camera. The studio resides in the first floor of the Farrison–Newton Mass Communications building, which was built in 1974. The existing interior walls were comprised of concrete masonry units and brick, and the only visual connection between the TV studio suite of rooms and the rest of the building was a 4” wide strip of glass in the door to the corridor. Despite the studio’s physical adjacency to the building lobby, the suite was completely enclosed and therefore disconnected from the rest of the Mass Comm department. The irony of a “hidden” communications hub created an opportunity to pull back the curtains and allow students and visitors to see into the studio’s innerworkings. 
           
Durham, NC
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