We are pleased to announce that Studio Archibene has accepted our offer to design the Belk Library Master Plan.
All four companies who were invited to interview are highly experienced and qualified - any of the finalists could do a great job with our project. We chose Studio Archibene because of the following:
Higher education, library and museum master plan/construction experience
- Experience integrating wayfinding and storytelling into building design
- Thoughtful student-focused approach to design
- Interest in reviewing and improving staff spaces
- Creative ideas demonstrated in the presentation
…and finally, and most important, our level of comfort with the Project Manager and Project Architect. Both demonstrated their “resolute attentiveness” with us during the interview process. In their proposal they stated:
Resolute Attentiveness: Studio Archibene’s nimble scale makes possible an intimate attentiveness to client service and execution that is simply not possible with larger, corporate scale architecture firms…our entire Durham-based team is dedicated to your success from beginning to end.
Studio Archibene has worked on our campus before and recently completed the App State Post Office redesign.
The contract term is December 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026. Our next step is to work with the firm on a schedule of stakeholder events, meetings, and deliverables. Once that is confirmed and signed, we plan to invite them to a library wide meeting.
We would like to thank Jacki McGuire, the BLMP Steering Committee members, and our three student representatives, for their hard work and commitment to this important task.
Belk Library Master Plan Steering Committee Members
Breanne Crumpton
Wil Cummings
Ken Johnson
Adam Jones
Bill Pillow
Sue Polanka
Student Representatives for architect selection
Tyler Hunter
Graham Hysom
Catalina Latorre
And Jacki McGuire, Project Manager, Program Design and Construction
Studio Archibene's proposal cover for Belk Library Master Plan
