Competition launched to find design for new Faculty of Arts building

An international competition has been launched by the University of Warwick and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) to design a new building for the Faculty of Arts.

The university is seeking proposals from architect-led multidisciplinary design teams to create the new learning space, which will be known as the Faculty of Arts Development. The project is estimated to cost £33 million pounds.

The Faculty of Arts Development will accommodate the seven departments and research centres that are currently based in the Humanities building and Milburn House. The new site will replace car park 7, located near the main Library.

The project’s judging panel will include RIBA advisor Cindy Walter of Walters & Cohen, leading departmental academics, and members of the University’s senior leadership team.

Professor Simon Gilson, Chair of the Arts Faculty, said: “We are looking for a building that is open, inviting and flexible; a place that allows collaboration, creativity and innovation to flourish, and acts as a hub for public engagement in the humanities and creative arts.”

He added that the building should “serve the entire university, its stakeholders and the public by nurturing cultural value and creating partnerships at the regional, national, and international level.”

The project is one of a series of developments planned for the Warwick campus, and part of Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft’s pledge to open a new academic building every year until 2023.

Simran Sandhu, a final-year English Literature student, praised the project: “It’s good, we deserve a new building. I was always afraid that the Humanities building was going to crumble on us.”

The deadline for submitting Pre-Qualification Questionnaires is 2pm on 27 October. Five shortlisted teams will receive an honorarium of £7,500 (+VAT) to participate in the initial concept phase of the building’s design. The final members of the team will be announced on 1 February 2017.

More information can be found on the RIBA competition website.