Syracuse University selects SHoP Architects to design National Veterans Resource Complex
Courtesy of Syracuse University
The tentative plan is for the National Veterans Resource Complex to be built on the western portion of Waverly Avenue near the Syracuse University campus and completed by spring 2019.
After a six-month design competition, Syracuse University has selected SHoP Architects to design the National Veterans Resource Complex (NVRC).
SHoP Architects, a world-renowned architect firm headquartered in New York City, will conceptualize and design the NVRC, according to an SU News release. The design competition that ultimately led to the selection of SHoP started in December 2015.
As one of the initiatives within the Campus Framework — a draft of which was released Monday — the NVRC is a complex that would serve as the university’s center for veterans resources. It would also be the home of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), which currently operates inside the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.
The tentative plan is for the NVRC to be built on the western portion of Waverly Avenue near the SU campus and completed by spring 2019, according to the release. The total cost of the project is estimated at $62.5 million.
The NVRC will “build upon and advance the University’s already strong national leadership in the veterans’ community,” according to the release. The complex would also offer vocational and educational programs that would help advance the economic success of the region’s and the nation’s veterans and military families.
Previously, SHoP led the creation of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, designed the East River Waterfront Esplanade in Lower Manhattan and is responsible for the design of the Botswana Innovation Hub in Gaborone.
The architect firm is also being considered as one of the finalists to design the Obama Presidential Library in Chicago.
Christopher Sharples, one of the founders of SHoP, said in the release that everyone at the architect firm is “enormously proud” to be designing the NVRC.
Courtesy of Syracuse University
Chancellor Kent Syverud said in the release that the NVRC represents another “significant step in our efforts to be the best place in America for veterans.”
“The NVRC is a physical testament to Syracuse University’s commitment to supporting veterans and their families throughout our history, and into our future. It will serve as a lasting reminder of the important role our service men and women play in our society,” Syverud said in the release. “I am grateful to the members of the Selection Committee for their tireless efforts on behalf of the University and want to thank them for their commitment to identifying the right design partner for this critically important project.”
The NVRC is part of the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council’s winning proposal titled “Central New York: Rising from the Ground Up,” according to the release. This proposal was one of three selected to receive $500 million as part of New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative (URI).
Mike Haynie, vice chancellor of veteran and military affairs at SU, said in the release that the design and construction of the NVRC is a symbolic example of SU’s commitment to serving, supporting and empowering veterans.
“The NVRC will build upon and solidify the University’s ongoing leadership in research and programming connected to the veteran and military sectors,” Haynie said in the release. “As a member of the Selection Committee, I am confident we have identified the ideal design partner for this initiative, and I look forward to seeing SHoP bring this innovative and bold concept to life.”
Representatives from SHoP will now collaborate with SU leaders to “refine the design plans to further align them with the Campus Framework’s architectural vision,” according to the release.
The complex will have classroom spaces to accommodate local and national veteran-focused programming, according to the release. It will also include a conference center and a roughly 1,000-seat auditorium that the whole campus would be able to use. In addition, the NVRC is expected to house a gallery space showing the university’s service to veterans over the years.
The NVRC has been designed as a LEED-certified facility and will be an inclusive facility that accommodates veterans and visitors with disabilities, according to the release.
Published on June 21, 2016 at 1:32 pm
Contact Sara: smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann
