Finalists selected for design competition
Archived article from Dec 12, 2005
Five of the world’s most accomplished architecture firms are coming to Rutgers to compete for the opportunity to carry out President Richard L. McCormick’s vision to transform the historic College Avenue campus into one of the nation’s finest academic environments.
Over the next three months, the five firms – stretching from Paris to Mexico City – will lead teams of architects, landscape designers and urban planners that will solicit ideas from members of the university community as they create design concepts for the College Avenue campus.
The competition will be judged by a distinguished panel that will include members of the Rutgers community, as well as architecture, landscape design and urban planning professionals. The winning team will have the opportunity to create the landscape for the greening of the College Avenue campus and to design a new, signature academic building.
“The five architecture and design teams competing for this honor feature many of the finest minds in their field,” McCormick said. “Working together with a wide array of representatives from the Rutgers community, we will transform the College Avenue campus into an inspiring academic environment that is worthy of our great state and this outstanding university.”
McCormick said the redesign of the College Avenue campus will attract top faculty and students; encourage the highest standards of scholarship, research and service; strengthen the university’s ties with Rutgers’ most historic host community; and create a major source of pride for the people of New Jersey. He also said the winning design will respect the historic character of the College Avenue campus and stressed that the jury will seek public input throughout the review process.
The leaders of the five teams are:
• Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners LLP, New York, a joint venture with Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Paris. Their Web sites are www.beyerblinderbelle.com and www.jeannouvel.com.
• Eisenman Architects, New York. The firm’s Web site is www.eisenmanarchitects.com.
• Morphosis – Thom Mayne, Santa Monica, Calif. The firm can be found at www.morphosis.net.
• Antoine Predock Architect PC, Albuquerque, N.M. The firm’s Web site is
www.predock.com.
• Ten Arquitectos (Enrique Norten), Mexico City. The firm can be found at www.ten-arquitectos.com.
The five finalists were among 15 architectural and design teams that responded to the university’s worldwide search for qualified firms through a competitive process. Rutgers evaluated the teams based on their demonstrated design excellence and experience with comparable projects, as well as the composition and overall quality of the teams, their approach to and understanding of the project, and the quality and availability of the principals and staff proposed to perform the services.
Each finalist will receive a $50,000 stipend, funded through the Rutgers University Foundation, to prepare conceptual designs for the College Avenue campus.
For more information about the initiative, visit the Web site collegeavenuecampus.rutgers.edu.
– Greg Trevor
Return to the Dec 12, 2005 issue
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