This artist’s rendering depicts what App State’s Edwin Duncan Hall might look like once renovations to the building are completed. This image does not reflect the finalized renovation design. Click on the image for a full view. Graphic courtesy of McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
The Edwin Duncan Hall renovation is one of several major construction projects underway at Appalachian State University to enhance the App State Experience.
The project supports App State’s strategic priorities, as well as the university’s goals and metrics associated with the University of North Carolina System’s strategic plan. It will benefit students, faculty, staff and academics.
About
The planned renovation of Edwin Duncan Hall includes adding and refurbishing elevators, making repairs to the building’s exterior, installing a new sprinkler system and completely revamping the facility’s HVAC system.
Constructed in 1965, Edwin Duncan Hall contains office space, classrooms and labs and has undergone numerous, small renovations over the years. The nearly 98,000-square-foot facility will be completely gutted as part of the renovation, with a goal of improving and adapting the space to current and future programming needs — which includes offering more technologically advanced classrooms.
This artist’s rendering depicts what App State’s Edwin Duncan Hall might look like once renovations to the building are completed. This image does not reflect the finalized renovation design. Graphic courtesy of McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
This artist’s rendering shows what Edwin Duncan Hall might look like once the building’s renovations are completed. Graphic courtesy of McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
App State’s Edwin Duncan Hall is undergoing a nearly $27 million renovation, which is slated for completion in fall 2025. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Status
Preparation work for the Edwin Duncan Hall renovation project’s renovation began in June 2023 and construction is underway, having begun in late December 2023. The renovation project is 40% complete, as of November 2024, and is slated for completion in fall 2025. The project experienced a 30-day schedule setback due to building damages sustained from Hurricane Helene, which hit the Boone area on Sept. 27, 2024.
Recent construction work for the project includes framing installation on all three floors, as well as duct work and mechanical, electrical and plumbing work on the second and third floors. Additionally, workers are installing new windows and roof drains, and exterior electrical and drainage work, along with structural repairs, is ongoing.
All parking in front of Edwin Duncan Hall and in the Octagon space under the building is closed due to the construction. Two rows on the west side of the building closest to the Peacock Lot will remain open. Spaces in front of Rankin Hall will also remain open, as will access to the Varsity Gym loading area facing Rankin Hall. View a map of the parking area near Edwin Duncan Hall.
Swing office space has been made available in East Hall for Edwin Duncan Hall faculty and staff displaced by the renovation. Classes and labs for the 2024–25 academic year are being accommodated in various academic buildings across App State’s Boone campus. Certain classes that were held in Wey Hall, which is also undergoing renovation, are being held in the second-level Edwin Duncan Hall Octagon, which was prepared for occupancy in August 2024; these classes are Ceramics, Printmaking, and Foundations II Woodshop. Thanks to the quick work of App State’s Facility Operations, Department of Art and Information Technology Services, as well as Vannoy Construction, McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture and engineering firm Salas O'Brien, the Edwin Duncan Hall Octagon was made ready for students returning for the fall 2024 semester.
McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the designer for the project, and Vannoy Construction, located in Jefferson, North Carolina, serves as the project’s construction manager.
How is it funded?
To date, App State has received $26.8 million in state-allocated funding for the renovation of Edwin Duncan Hall. Nearly $21 million in project support, which includes $800,000 reserved for HVAC and lighting improvements, was allocated to App State as part of the 2021–22 biennial budget bill. The university received an additional $6 million in support — an inflationary adjustment — for the project as part of the 2023–24 biennial budget bill.
Who will benefit?
App State students, faculty, staff are set to benefit from the Edwin Duncan Hall renovation. Investing in the development of App State’s physical infrastructure supports and elevates the university’s educational mission — and empowers the vast human potential on App State’s campus.
How does it support UNC System Goals and Metrics?
Providing the best environment for teaching and learning can impact recruitment and retention of students, faculty and staff.
- Campus Construction Projects
- State Funding Support
- Master Plan
- Glossary
- Parking and Transportation Messages
Major current projects:
Major completed projects:
- Holmes Drive Parking Deck
- Dining Facilities Renovations — Central Dining Hall and Trivette Hall
- University Bookstore Renovation
- Residence Halls
- Child Development Center Expansion
- Kidd Brewer Stadium — North End Zone
- Career Development Center relocation
- Sanford Hall Renovation
- Blue Ridge Way
- NPHC Plots and Garden
- Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences
- Founders Plaza
An aerial view of areas receiving millennial campus designation at Appalachian State University. Video by Marie Freeman