As Duke continues to feel an increasing space crunch, the School of Medicine is once again turning to off-campus office buildings to fulfill the growing need of some Medical Center departments.
Located on Erwin Road, the 11-story Hock Plaza, currently being constructed by G.M. Hock Construction with a projected completion date of May 2004, will house portions of the Duke Clinical Research Institute and the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"The Hock Plaza will be the brain center of much of cancer clinical [data] research being done," said Director of DCRI Dr. Robert Califf. Clinical care, however, will still remain on campus.
DCRI will employ the space in Hock Plaza to house the Statistics and Data Coordinating Centers for the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, a national organization of surgeons based in Durham that carries out randomized trials for oncology by evaluating procedures and therapies. The coordinating center analyzes the data and designs new protocols, said Califf, also a professor of medicine in cardiology. Hock Plaza will also house both DCRI's and DCCC's administrative workforce.
Scott Gibson, associate vice dean for finance and resource planning, said Gary Hock, the building's constructor, approached the School of Medicine last fall about potentially leasing space in the proposed building.
In May 2003, the School of Medicine committed to leasing five floors of office space plus an auditorium area, Gibson said.
Hock said that Duke has currently leased 160,000 square feet to divide between DCRI and DCCC of Hock Plaza's planned 321,000 square feet.
"We hope Duke occupies a lot more space," said Hock, who also rents office space to Duke at his North Durham office park. However, Gibson said that presently, there were no formal plans to lease additional space in Hock Plaza. Construction began last October on the building, which is located on the site of the former Brownstone Hotel, which was razed.
Dr. Kim Lyerly, director of DCCC and professor of surgery, said that space allocation reflected the balance of good use and opportunity. "My judgment will be based on these factors... and what may have the biggest impact on cancer," Lyerly said. "This is going to be great--right now, we're spread out through the city."
Califf agreed with Lyerly, as DCRI was also out of space in Duke North, with 100 staff members who will soon be able to return to campus after the Hock Plaza is operational.
"The administration has to assess the programs that need the most space," he said. "In most of the top academic medical centers, you've got a lot of talented people... and space becomes the limiting factor. We're anxious for them to get done."
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