November 21, 2002

(WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts today enthusiastically approved the concept design of the United States Institute of Peace's headquarters, to be built at the intersection of 23rd St. and Constitution Ave. NW in Washington, adjacent to the National Mall.

The Commission advises the U.S. and District of Columbia governments on architectural and artistic matters that affect the capital city's appearance.

The headquarters "is a wonderful building in the right place," said Commission Chairman Harry G. Robinson III. It is "an exciting, exuberant statement of the importance of peace."

Commission member David M. Childs added that the Institute is "the absolutely appropriate program to be the exclamation point at the end of Constitution Ave."

The new headquarters will face the Lincoln Memorial on one of the last available construction sites adjacent to the Mall. The 100,000-square-foot building will house a conference center with classroom and professional training facilities; offices for Institute staff and research fellows; a library; and an interactive education center open to the public and dedicated to the themes of international conflict management and peacemaking.

The building is to be organized around two atria fanning out from the entrance on 23rd St. The great hall atrium will face the Lincoln Memorial, the other the Potomac River.

Institute President Richard H. Solomon said after the meeting, "The Commission's approval of the Institute's permanent headquarters concept design represents a major step forward in our plan to create a national center for research, education, professional training and policy development in the area of international conflict management and resolution. Private support for the construction of the headquarters building will realize a public-private partnership in support of innovation in peacemaking for the 21st century."

Congress established the Institute "to serve the government and the American people", through research, education and training on international peacemaking. Fulfillment of this mandate has been constrained by the Institute's current rented space—two-and-a-half floors in a commercial office building. In the new, five-level headquarters, the Institute will be better able to sponsor conferences, workshops, public addresses, training sessions and education seminars related to its mission. It will host visitors concerned with international conflict and peacebuilding from around the world.

The project is a public-private partnership. The federal government has supplied the land at no cost to the Institute of Peace, which is now seeking private donations to fund the building's construction and related costs.

The headquarters' striking design is the work of the world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, whose Somerville, Mass. firm was chosen after an intensive, competitive selection process. Some of the firm's other projects include Habitat '67 in Montreal; the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA; the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA; the Salt Lake City Public Library; and the Performing Arts Center in Kansas City, MO; as well as the Khalsa/National Museum of the Sikhs in Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, India; and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem.

The Washington-based firm Leo A. Daly has been chosen as Safdie's local associate for the project.

Founded by Congress in 1984, the U.S. Institute of Peace is a federally funded, independent, non-partisan organization dedicated to the peaceful resolution of international conflicts.

For more on Moshe Safdie and Associates, visit www.msafdie.com.

Specific inquiries can be directed to the Institute's Press Secretary, at (202) 429-4725.