Kent State has chosen the winner of its College of Architecture and Environmental Design building design competition.

Richard L. Bowen and Associates, Inc. of Cleveland and Weiss/Manfredi, based in New York City, will design the new $40-million building.

Leslie Krupman, director of marketing at Richard L. Bowen and Associates, said Weiss/Manfredi will serve as lead designer, and Richard L. Bowen and Associates will be the architect of record.

Emily Vincent, director of university media relations, declined to confirm or deny the winner and said a statement will be released tomorrow.

The university held a design competition for the new building and narrowed it down to the final four design firms last year. Each firm presented its proposed design concepts to a selection committee in January.

The chosen design proposal for the new 125,000 square foot building features a library, café and gallery on its ground floor and classrooms, labs and offices on the second floor.

The proposal also includes plans for an ascending open studio loft and a continuous staircase that will interconnect each of the building’s levels.

The total budget for the project is $40 million with $31 million allotted for construction.