Creative works, course-related material, correspondence, publications, photographs, drawings, student work, and slides (1971-2000) created or collected by Buford W. Duke, Jr., evidence his employment at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Architecture and his professional work as a designer specializing in “Gentle Architecture.” The collection is divided into six series: Personal Papers (1981-1994, 0.02 linear feet), Professional Papers (1974-1988, 0.4 linear feet), Faculty Papers (3.34 linear feet), Teaching Files (1981-2000, 5.0 linear feet), Students’ Work (1982-2000, 1.67 linear feet), and Drawings (1971-1998, 145 rolled drawings).

The bulk of the material (24 document boxes or 10.01 linear feet, plus slides) concerns Duke’s faculty activities as a professor with The University of Texas at Austin (1980-2000), including class-related documentation, correspondence, School of Architecture administrative records, annual faculty reports, student-generated course instructor evaluations and survey results, and students’ work. The mandated School of Architecture annual reports detail teaching activities and grant-funded research.

School of Architecture administrative records include documents prepared for the entire department and faculty, including event calendars, faculty committee information, faculty and staff directories, and the Goals Conference commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the School in 1984.

Duke taught many of his courses several times during his career and maintained extensive files with classroom handouts, role sheets, rosters, sign-in sheets, syllabi, grade sheets, course packets, overhead transparencies, students’ work and hand-written notes. Materials are arranged chronologically, first by year, then by semester (Spring, Summer, Fall). There is no documentation in this collection for his 1981 coursework as a visiting professor, but from 1982-1984 Duke taught Energy in Architecture and Energy Conscious Design. Documentation for his design studios begins in 1984 with Earth Shelter Architecture and also includes his work with the city of Kemah in 1990. His signature studio called “Gentle Architecture” began in 1992. Duke borrowed the term "Gentle Architecture" from the title of the 1981 text by Malcolm Wells, a fellow architect. On the 1992 syllabus for the class, Duke states that "students [in Gentle Architecture] will explore alternative building and environmental systems and strategies which may be used to conserve our natural resources. This course will provide an understanding of ways and means of 'Building Softly,' the architectural imperative of the future."

Duke may have selected Design Studio topics in response to student competition calls from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. Competition announcements may be located with the course materials for that year, but Design Competitions (Box 22) contains duplicate announcements.

Over 2 linear feet of material document the Environmental Controls from 1985-1991. Duke saved student reports and quizzes (along with quiz answer keys) from many of his courses; the majority of reports are located in Students’ Works subseries. Students' work includes slideshow presentations for Duke's classes, including Environmental Controls.

The Professional Series, which documents Buford Duke’s work as an architect is significantly smaller in volume (0.4 linear feet) than his faculty-related documentation, but it illuminates his architectural success working independently and with the Benham-Blair and Affiliates Inc. group and their award-winning, solar-powered State of California Office Building in Sacramento. This building became his most widely recognized and highly acclaimed project. Duke maintained concurrent employment in the early 1980’s, and the Professional Papers and Faculty Papers series contain material that may relate to either occupation, including correspondence and annual reports.