The UC Office of the President has selected members for a new committee to advise the university on the design and construction of University House, the official residence of the UCSD chancellor. Recruiting an architect for the project will be the committee’s first task, according to Vice Chancellor of External Relations James M. Langley.

The University House Building Advisory Committee, called together by UC Senior Vice President Joseph P. Mullinix, consists of representatives from faculty, staff, students and UCOP. The 14-member committee ensures representation from all aspects of the campus community, according to Langley.

“The BAC will make a recommendation to UCOP as to how University House should be built,” said Eric Frechette, a GSA representative on the committee. “The committee is trying to make sure that the $7 or 8 million it will cost to build University House is spent well.”

UCOP chose committee members based on their familiarity with University House. Most of the members served on a previous committee that evaluated the safety of the facility and recommended that a new house be built on the current site.

Members met in November to discuss methods of contacting architects about the university’s intentions to solicit bids, including the placement of advertisements in trade magazines. The university will notify about 3,000 architectural firms, according to anthropology professor Donald Tuzin, one of three faculty members on the committee.

Given that University House’s preliminary price tag for construction is $7.2 million, the committee wants to attract architects with previous experience in major projects, Langley said.

The committee will reconvene in January to discuss bids and determine which architects best fit the committee’s criteria.

Members will narrow the pool to a few candidates who will go through an interview process. The committee will then recommend a finalist to the regents and UCOP for appointment, according to UCSD’s Capital Planning Web site.

University House BAC members will work closely with the chosen architect, Tuzin said. They want the design of the new house to retain its La Jolla Farms appearance but include updated facilities that will serve its purpose of entertaining guests, he said.

“We want the building to be gracious, not ostentatious,” Tuzin said. “We will examine functionality with design.”

Tuzin said the original house, designed to accommodate fewer than 100 guests, needs modern features like a state-of-the-art catering kitchen.

“I don’t want University House built quickly and poorly — that would be a mistake,” Frechette said. “The house will be used by the UCSD chancellor to entertain distinguished guests and important donors over the next 50 years. University House should have a timeless design and be built to last.”

Barring any serious setbacks, the committee projects the completion of the new building in three years, with the majority of that time spent on planning. Despite its length, the process must abide by the university’s numerous building procedures because they protect the public’s interest, according to Tuzin.

“If you were building a house for yourself, you wouldn’t have to jump through as many hoops,” Tuzin said.

Because of concerns over the property’s location on an archaeological site, Associate Vice Chancellor of University Communications Stacie A. Spector said a unit of the university will review the environmental impact of constructing University House.

“We’ll approach it with great sensitivity,” Spector said. “If any archaeological artifacts are found, the administration will go through a mitigation process.”

Since funding for University House’s construction will come solely from private donors, the committee will decide by February whether sufficient funds are available to support the project. The university has begun briefing private donors about the project and taking note of their concerns, according to Langley.

“We could sell the property and build somewhere on campus,” Langley said. “The property is worth, conservatively, no less than $12 million. It is a possibility, but a less attractive alternative.”

The project will only continue to its second phase, during which architects complete formal designs, if the university has raised enough funds by February.

“It’s a painstaking process and we’re only at the beginning of it, [but] we’re eager to move forward,” Tuzin said.