The world's leading architects have lined up in a bid to create a new gateway and social heart for UBC's Vancouver campus. The competition's first phase calling for 'Expressions of Interest' closed on November 30 2004. "The range and calibre of the entrants makes this competition very exciting," said Dennis Pavlich, UBC's Vice-President of External and Legal Affairs. "Several architects are known worldwide for their excellence in design. Their varied styles are rich, offering great potential for a winning submission that will create an outstanding signature and memorable architecture on UBC's University Boulevard - the prime entry into UBC's academic core."

Architects of international stature are among contenders, many of whom have received prestigious awards and commendations for their design work. A complete list of the teams that have submitted Expressions of Interest can be found here.

Linda Moore, UBC Associate Director, External Affairs, said, "We have received an impressive range of submissions from very talented and highly capable teams of architectural firms from around the world. The majority of firms are clearly distinguished and include recipients of Canada's prestigious RAIC Gold Medal in addition to the Pritzker Prize for Architecture - widely regarded as one of the most coveted awards in the world of architecture."

British Columbia firms have been reaping the rewards of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia's policy that requires all international and out-of-province competitors to establish a joint venture with architects licensed to practice in the Province. Multiple international suitors are teaming up with B.C firms, which, according to Moore, is a highly creative pairing of global architectural skills, and a significant boon to the local architectural economy of B.C.

In total, 52 teams with firms from 16 countries submitted expressions of interest, including Canada, the USA, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Austria, Spain, India, Germany, the United Kingdom, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, and France.

The competition's shortlist committee will now evaluate the Expressions of Interest and prepare a short-list of approximately six competitors. Beginning in January 2005 these firms will go through an interview process and each team will be asked to deliver a public lecture at UBC on their philosophy and approach to architecture as reflected in a cursory review of their work. Following this process, three finalists will be chosen and the competition will officially enter Stage 2 in which the three teams will prepare three visions for UBC's University Boulevard. These designs will then be evaluated by a jury, which includes a roster of internationally recognised architects in association with university representatives.

Integral to UBC's long-term vision is the creation of a complete and sustainable community on campus called University Town. UBC's University Town will be an academically and culturally rich collection of University neighbourhoods supporting the academic core as the primary intellectual, social and economic centre. University Boulevard is one of nine distinct neighbourhoods within University Town, and is the first mixed-use neighbourhood.

The University Boulevard International Architectural Competition is the first architectural competition in Vancouver since 1991, when the Vancouver Public Library held a national design competition, which was won by Moshe Safdie.

The University of British Columbia is a leading university in Canada, one of the world's finest academic and research institutions, and is home to 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students. UBC ranks consistently among the top 50 of the world's best universities.