Tom Skolnicki, the University landscape architect, upated the Talley Board of Directors Monday evening about the status of a new or redesigned student center.
According to Skolnicki, the Univeristy has narrowed the search for a designer to three firms.
The candidates are Pearce, Brinkley, Cease & Lee, Perkins & Will and Holzman Moss.
On December 18, the firms will each have an opportunity to present their plan to the University and following the meeting, the design firm will be chosen.
According to Skolnicki, the winning firm will conduct a “needs-use assessment” of current student life oriented facilities. The study will conclude in May or June after which the actual design phase can begin.
Skolnicki estimated that if the design phase begins immediately following the needs-use assessment, the new student center could be completed as early as May 2011.
Pearce, Brinkley, Cease & Lee is a Raleigh based firm whose academic credits include the Cate Student Center at Meredith College and the renovation and lobby expansion of Memorial Auditorium, according to the company’s Web site.
Perkins & Will’s Web site indicates that it is a multinational company that has designed many academic buildings like Duke’s Fox Student Center and has corporate projects such as the Time Warner Headquarters under its belt.
Holzman Moss, a New York based company, is responsible for academic projects such as the Texas Tech Student Union and historic projects including the Hawaii Theatre Center, per its Web site.
No budget has been addressed for the actual design and construction of the new student center, according to Alex Miller, the associate vice chancellor for student affairs and director of the University scholars program.
“We’re not really at the point of talking about the cost of construction,” Miller said.
While no money has been allocated to build the new center, Miller stressed the project is still viable.
“The Chancellor has this on his radar – which is very important,” he said.
Skolnicki would not speculate on a possible budget for the design and construction, but said the chosen firm will be paid $150,000 to develop a ‘master plan’ for the project.
The location of the new student center is yet to be determined.
Skolnicki said the firms have been asked to look at the Talley/Bookstore area and the Witherspoon/Harris/Pullen Hall area, but added the new student center could be anywhere.
“It could be Centennial, it could be North campus. It’s gonna be something the University community is gonna figure out with the help of this firm,” he said.
The Talley Board of Directors will have an opportunity to interact with the design team, according to Skolnicki.
Sara Yasin, a junior in textile and apparel management and president of the Talley Board of Directors, said she is looking forward to helping design the new student center. “I am super excited about this,” she said.
Yasin said the three firms chosen by the University were also her favorites out of about a dozen proposals. “They had a really broad range of things they’ve done,” she said.
