While no official contract has been signed, the university expects to formalize deal with the Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta within days to design the next Temple University Library on North Broad Street, Assistant Vice President of Government, Community and Public Affairs Ray Betzner said.
The firm, based in Oslo, Norway, has designed projects around the world, including the the Oslo Opera House, the James B. Hunt Jr. Library at the University of North Carolina, the Bibliotheca Alexandria in Egypt and the museum pavilion at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
No design has yet been submitted for the building, which is expected to be located on North Broad Street at the current site of the Pavilion.
In March, the Board of Trustees approved a $17.5 million budget for the project’s design, and construction will be funded by $140 million from the state.
James Creedon, senior vice president for construction, facilities and management, said that the firm was selected from a pool of three candidates that were decided upon out of 30 proposals. After interviewing the three firms on August 21, a committee made up of Creedon, University Architect Margaret Carney, representatives from the Board of Trustees, the School of Architecture, the Provost’s Office and library staff, along with representatives from the state, chose to select Snøhetta for their recommendation to the state.
“They have incredible experience with libraries,” Creedon said, “they really impressed us with their ideas, and not so much with the specific idea’s of what we should do, but how they would help us reach a consensus here on what we ought to do.”
Snøhetta will partner with Stantec Consulting Services, a Philadelphia company, to design the library.
No preliminary terms to the contract have been released, including how much the university will pay the firm.
Creedon said the university will begin the first phase of the design, which is programing the university’s needs into the project, when the contract is announced. That phase will likely take place throughout the summer, Creedon said.