New College of Florida and Architecture Sarasota are launching a design challenge aimed at re-adapting New College of Florida's iconic dormitories, which were designed by world-renowned architect I.M. Pei. in the '60s.

The challenge, called “Reimagining Pei,” invites architects to transform the dormitories on the east campus of New College by giving them new uses and incorporating them into an athletic and recreational complex to include retail and restaurants.

The goal includes ensuring elements of the external structure remain intact so that the original design is at least partially memorialized, but the expectation is for buildings to be "substantially altered," according to the challenge's description. The complex already has a swimming pool and will eventually include a gymnasium, fields, and courts for baseball, soccer, lacrosse, tennis, and pickleball to meet the needs of the college's new athletic programs.

A call for proposals from practicing architects and firms for the competition is open from today through Sept. 1. New College, with input from Architecture Sarasota, will award three finalists $10,000 on Sep. 8 to further develop their designs. They will announce a winner on Nov. 17.

“Reimagining Pei'' was born from findings from The New College Challenge, a year-long collaboration between Architecture Sarasota and New College of Florida that brought together academic teams from six top-tier research and design universities as partners to re-imagine the college's campus ahead of its centennial in 2060. In the spirit of the original process that awarded the commission for the dormitories to Pei 60 years ago, in 1963, the contest invites architects to repurpose the dorms by proposing designs that reflect New College’s plans for recreation, entertainment and athletics. 

Completed in 1965, New College’s Bates, Rothenberg, and Johnson Residence Halls—commonly referred to as the Pei Dormitories—are located on the college’s east campus. They're the only Pei designs in the state of Florida and are a rare example of Brutalism from the era. Constructed in light gray brick, they contain study-bedroom units designed for two students and open onto a secluded patio or balcony. A geometric planting of palm trees shades the large courtyard and provides a collective meeting space. In 2018, the dormitories were named one of the 50 most significant mid-century modern structures in the state. However, they're not listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

New College was founded in 1960 by local civic leaders, including Philip Hanson Hiss III (1910-1988), a catalyst of the Sarasota School of Architecture. Hiss was also an educational reformist who, as chair of the Sarasota Board of Public Instruction, helped build nine modernist Sarasota school buildings between 1954 and 1960. Hiss furthered the connection between educational reform and modern architecture by enlisting Pei for New College.

Pei created a heavy concrete frame for his buildings, a contrast to the transparency and lightness of Sarasota School architecture. Designing the dorms in tight clusters of geometrically arranged groups, the residence halls are composed of three courts, or pavilions, designed for student living, each centered around a court planted with rows of tall palms for gathering. Small ponds with fountains in the courtyard have since been replaced by gardens. 

The 46-year-old, New York-based Pei was chosen by a committee that selected him over such figures as Louis Kahn, The Architects Collaborative and John Johansen, among others.

Pei passed away in 2019 at 102 years old and is also known for buildings like the Pyramide du Louvre at the Louvre Museum in Paris and the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.

To enter, email a pdf containing a portfolio of relevant work, a short description of why you believe you and/or your team is qualified and a description of your design process to [email protected].