Lead Designer for James B Hunt Jr. Library Wins Europe’s Most Prestigious Architecture Prize

David Hiscoe, NCSU Libraries, (919) 513-3425

(Raleigh, NC, 2009)— Snøhetta, the lead designer for North Carolina State University’s planned James B Hunt Jr. Library, has been honored with the 2009 Mies van der Rohe Award, Europe’s most prized award for architectural excellence. Also known as the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, the honor was awarded for the design of the National Opera House in Oslo, Norway, the largest cultural center built in the country in 700 years.

Rapidly becoming an iconic building for Norway in the way that the Sydney Opera House is for Australia, the National Opera House is known for its bold integration with the surrounding landscape. Its sloping roof rises out of the adjacent fjord so that the building itself is not clearly distinguishable from the water that fronts it. According to jury chair Francis Rambert, "It is more than just a building. It is first an urban space, a gift to the city." Snøhetta is also known for its designs for the Alexandria National Library in Alexandria, Egypt, and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York.

Snøhetta is working with Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee, the North Carolina-based executive architect for the new Hunt Library, to deliver a similarly iconic heart for NC State’s Centennial Campus. Located on Centennial Campus’ academic oval, the new library will embody the spirit of NC State’s competitive advantage in science and technology, providing a research library that will be a major factor in attracting and retaining the best faculty, students and corporate partners.

The new library will also help close a serious seating gap for the NCSU Libraries, which can currently seat only five percent of NC State’s students. The new Hunt Library will double the amount of seats, getting NC State closer to the UNC system mandate to provide library seating for twenty percent of the student body. The NCSU Libraries has made its mark by providing a technology incubator for generations of NC State students and faculty. From its iconic design, to its robotic automatic retrieval system, to the latest in computing and collaboration technologies, Hunt Library will continue to prepare the NC State community to lead in a technology-driven economy.

The Hunt Library will also provide a new home for the Institute for Emerging Issues, a public policy “think-and-do” tank that brings together leaders from business, non-profit organizations, government and higher education to tackle some of the biggest issues facing North Carolina's future growth and prosperity.

The James B Hunt Jr. Library is currently scheduled to open in 2012.