Architecture firms and notable architects from all over the world are contending to design a new Arts Center for the University. The nearly $98 million center will encompass more than 127,000 square feet and is slated for construction at the end of 2010, University spokesperson Carol Wood said.
"It represents the commitment we have to the arts," said University Architect David Neuman. "This is a commitment to the community -- the University community and the Charlottesville community."
According to a University press release, among the 57 responses to the University's international competition came from architecture firms located in Italy, Denmark and the United States, as well as from architects Lord Norman Foster and Thom Mayne, recent recipients of Pritzker Prize, the highest award in the field of architecture.
Neuman attributed the huge response to a current interest in the field of architecture with designing multi-purpose arts buildings.
"These are the cathedrals of the 21st century," he said.
The University Arts Center will serve as a performance center and an art museum, among other things, and the potential architects are required to have designed both types of buildings and have their designs successfully implemented in the last five to seven years, Neuman said.
The list of applicants will be narrowed to four firms who will be given 10 weeks to develop a design. The designs will be periodically reviewed and critiqued by a University panel before presenting their final design to the University selection committee this November.
The University, which houses Thomas Jefferson's architecture and is the only American university that is a World Heritage site, is itself a major draw for architects, Neuman said.
"For a lot of architects, working in the shadow of [Thomas] Jefferson is a dream," he said.
Neuman said the purpose of the competition was to gather a variety of design ideas for the University community to choose from.
"The beauty of the competition is involving the various delegates of the community in making a recommendation," he said.
The new building is set to be constructed on the corner of Emmet Street and Ivy Road where the Cavalier Inn currently is located and is intended to be a lasting addition to the University, Neuman said.
"We are building a building that should be here as long as the Rotunda is here," he said.
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