Executive Architects: Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee

Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee Architecture (PBC+L) is a North Carolina architecture firm with offices in Raleigh and Asheville. Founded in 1945, PBC+L specializes in academic and cultural arts projects with an emphasis on higher education projects. As a medium-sized firm, PBC+L is large enough to provide the expertise necessary for the most complex projects, yet small enough for firm principals to remain fully involved in every project. The firm is centered on a studio model where the brightest young designers are encouraged to excel and to develop into exemplary professionals. In this setting, youth and idealism are balanced with the experience and pragmatism the firm principals willingly share.

Lead Designer: Snøhetta

Formed in 1989 in Norway, Snøhetta is an integrated landscape, interior, and architectural practice based in Oslo, Norway, and New York, NY. Since its formation Snøhetta has won numerous international awards, including the 2010 European Prize for Public Space and the 2009 Mies van der Rohe Award.

Snøhetta's design philosophy emphasizes a strong relationship between architecture and the landscape in which it is situated, where each project site provides a specific context that requires a unique solution. Dialogue and teamwork are important aspects of Snøhetta's design process. It aims to create space for exchanging ideas and invites the active collaboration of all team members. Snøhetta is committed to ongoing research in finding new, cost-effective, and innovative solutions that support a sustainable design ethic.

Recent commissions for Snøhetta include the design for the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City and the expansion to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

 

Programming Consultant: DEGW

DEGW is an international design consultancy that specializes in helping institutions explore alternative future scenarios, test feasibility, and craft these visions into programmatic definition. They have worked extensively with libraries to transform and support new ways of learning. DEGW plans library spaces as part of the larger campus context, examining the range of alternative locations available for informal learning, computing, and study activities. DEGW will collaborate with Snøhetta in developing different interior scenarios for structuring the Hunt Library's functional areas. To gather input on user needs and aspirations, DEGW uses interactive group strategies to understand such issues as the institution's culture, vision, and initiatives, as well as how students, faculty, and staff use the building and the larger campus.

 

Construction Contractor: Skanska

Skanska is an international project development and construction company with expertise in developing office, residential, and public-private partnership projects. Skanska has had a presence in the area since 1918 and currently have a local office in Durham. With a long history of work at NC State, UNC, and Duke, Skanska is currently working on the Engineering Building III on Centennial Campus. The Skanska Hunt Library project team has a Twitter feed that provides updates on how construction is progressing.