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.
New books received in April
DS721.I5 2008 In the Chinese City : perspectives on the transmutations of an empire
GV1029.12.L54 2008 Speedseekers
GV1029.15.B46 2006 Benetton Formula 1 : a story
GV1469.35.C66 C66 2009 Red Alert 3 : ultimate edition
GV1469.35.G53 G53 2006 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
GV1469.35.I76 I76 2008 Iron Man
GV1469.35.R48 R47 2008 Resistance 2
HN80.L7 K36 2007 Polar Inertia : migrating urban systems
HT177.N5 N449 2008 The New York 2030 Notebook
N6853.G34 A4 2007 Paul Gauguin : artist of myth and dream
N8219.L5 L5384 2006 Light Art
NA680.J558 2008 v.1-2 100 Contemporary Architects
NA737.A46 A4 2007 Residential Work : volume 2
NA737.C45 E684 2001 The Enthusiasms of Centerbrook
NA737.H5 A4 2001 HKS : selected and current works
NA737.J59 J65 2006 John Howey & Associates : selected and current works
NA737.S53 S35 2008 SOM : International Terminal, San Francisco International Airport
NA1088.S597 K34 2006 Steidle + Partner : Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Bremerhaven
NA1120.B73 2008 Rome : new architecture
NA1308.6.P38 2007 Patent Constructions : new architecture made in Catalonia
NA1313.C37 A4 2008 The Theoretical Background of a Practical Procedure : moving from geometry to space from construction
NA1455.F53 A22 2002 Golden Bell and Beehive : light fittings designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto
NA1549.83.H35 A4 2002 Haigo Shen & Partners : selected and current works
NA2000.M34 2008 Simple Building
NA2542.8 .E97 2008 Expo Architecture : Zaragoza, an urban project
NA2794.L54 2002 The Light Construction Reader
NA7110.C668 2008 Contemporary Architecture and Interiors : yearbook 2009
NC997.D453 2004 Designin’ in the Rain
NC998.6.J3 D58 2007 Display, Commercial Space, and Sign Design
NC1310.B43 2008 Beasts! Book 2
NC1429.A94 D35 2008 The Daily Zoo
NC1807.U5 D47 2008 v.3 Design for Military 3
NK8884.A1 M38 2007 Spirit Cloth : Monsoon Asia 12 women writers
T385.P56 2009 Photoshop Studio with Bert Monroy : lessons in digital painting
TA658.C49 2009 Building Structures Illustrated : patterns, systems, and design
TR897.5.K737 2008 Motion Graphic Design : applied history and aesthetics
TR897.7.A986 2007 Autodesk Maya Techniques : hyper-realistic creature creation
TR897.7.S7 disc 43-48 Stash Sixpack 8
TS171.6.D475 2007 Design Inspirations
