Adjaye, SHoP, Snøhetta selected as finalists for Syracuse University National Veterans complex

Adjaye Associates, SHoP Architects, and Snøhetta are in the final run of the competition to design Syracuse University's National Veterans Resource Complex. The NVRC will become the new home of the University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), which has supported more than 48,000 U.S. veterans and military families. Once built, the facility will provide vocational and educational programs to provide economic support for veterans.

The NVRC Selection Committee — which comprises of Syracuse faculty, staff, students, and design professionals — picked the three finalists out of a competitive list of 28 teams. To add to that, the NVRC finalists are among the seven final teams competing for the high-profile commission to design the Obama Presidential Library.

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In the coming weeks, representatives from each of the finalist teams will make a trip to Syracuse University to view the site as well as speak with campus community members about the history, goals, vision, and the project timeline for the NVRC. Expected to take place in March, the team reps and the Syracuse School of Architecture will present lectures about their firms and their past work to the campus community and the general public.

When April comes around, the teams will present their final proposals to the Selection Committee at the University. The winner is currently scheduled to be announced in May.

For now, the University plans to build the NVRC in the western part of the Waverly block on campus, and it'll house a multitude of departments: the Syracuse University and Regional Student Veteran Resource Center; the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps; the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ‘Vet-Success on Campus’; the National Center of Excellence for Veteran Business Ownership; Veteran Business Outreach Center and Accelerator; and Syracuse University’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs.

The facility will include classrooms to accommodate local and national veteran programs, a gallery space, a conference center, and a roughly 1,000-seat auditorium to host public programs, lectures, and national events and conferences. It will also be designed as a LEED facility and constructed according to Universal Design practices, and will accommodate veterans and visitors with disabilities.