The Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI), established in 2004, is the first formal academic organization focused on the restoration economy. CURI was created to bring together a wide range of experts and researchers to explore the revitalization of existing areas. They come from a variety of disciplines including health, hydrology, materials engineering and historic preservation.

CURI will have design and planning studios in the Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston but will locate its research and development laboratories and facilities at the North Charleston campus. The R&D component will serve as a magnet for public/private partnerships, private developments, spinoff companies and other research and development agencies. The first phase of the project—renovation and equipment upgrades of the Lasch Center—will begin immediately. The Lasch Center is the site of the renovation of the H.L. Hunley, the first submarine in history to sink a warship in battle. The Civil War submarine, recovered off the coast of South Carolina, is one of the largest intact metal artifacts ever raised from the ocean floor.

CURI will bridge materials manufacturing, complex assembly and successful mixed land use, for which North Charleston is known, with the attributes of the city of Charleston, the nation's leading laboratory for cultural and structural preservation. Long-term plans call for construction of other buildings to house commercial tenants, historic preservation and restoration partner facilities, and other members of the restoration research community.