Syracuse University
Syracuse University is one step closer to selecting a world-class partner to conceptualize, design and construct the new National Veterans Resource Complex (NVRC). The NVRC Selection Committee made up of faculty staff, students and design professionals, recently, reviewed the qualifications of 28 of the world’s foremost architecture firms. After careful consideration, the selection committee has chosen three finalists to advance to the final round of the competition. The finalists are: Adjaye Associates, SHoP and Snohetta.
Courtesy of SHoP Architects
“Notably, each of these firms is among the seven finalists currently vying for the opportunity to design the Obama Presidential Library in Chicago“, the school’s announcement goes on to say.
The NVRC will be home to the University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families as well as the Regional Student Veteran Resource Center, the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps, the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps, the National Center of Excellence for Veteran Business Ownership, Veterans Business Outreach Center and Accelerator and the University’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs.
“Syracuse University’s past and present connection to the veteran – and military – connected community is not only central to our identity, but it is also one of the institution’s most valuable and differentiating resources“, said J. Michael Haynie, Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of the IVMF. “In this regard, the NVRC will come to define another chapter in Syracuse University’s long-running story of commitment and service to those men and women who have shouldered the burden of the nation’s defense“.
The National Veterans Resource Complex will include classroom spaces to accommodate local and national veteran-focused programming, along with a conference center and roughly 1,000-seat auditorium suitable to host community activities, lectures and national convening events and conferences.
The facility is also expected to include a gallery space exhibiting the University’s storied legacy of serving America’s veterans. Designed as a LEED-certified facility and constructed in accordance with Universal Design practices, the NVRC will be an inclusive facility that welcomes and accommodates veterans and visitors with disabilities.
Collaborating with the Syracuse University School of Architecture, each of the firms will visit the site to present lectures to the campus community and gather further information about the history, goals and timeline for the new facility. Final proposals will be presented to the selection committee in April 2016 and the winning firm will be announced in May 2016.
Courtesy of SHoP Architects
