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The architects

The designers of the Gates Center are Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam architects (MSME), from Atlanta.

The firm and its principals have received several national awards for their work including the 1995 Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the 1996 Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design, and five national awards for excellence from the American Institute of Architects. Mack Scogin, the lead architect for our project, is an adjunct professor at Harvard University and was the chairman of the Department of Architecture from 1990-1995.

Recent buildings MSME have designed include the Knowlton School of Architecture at The Ohio State University, and the Wang Center at Wellesley College.

The architects were selected by a University level committee consisting of members from the School of Computer Science, the School of Architecture and the Board of Trustees. Over 30 firms were considered, and members of the committee visited buildings designed by all the finalists. Reasons MSME was selected include:

  • The committee was impressed with the innovative qualities of the other buildings they designed. This is particularly true for the interior spaces. It was clear we would not be getting another copy of an existing building.
  • The committee felt the project would get the full attention of the principal architect, and that the architect would pay careful attention to the project needs.
  • The committee was impressed that the architects have been able to design inspiring buildings on a modest budget.

    • This entry was posted on Thursday, April 13th, 2006 at 5:24 pm and is filed under Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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