A multidisciplinary team led by landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh has won an international competition to reshape the area surrounding Eero Saarinen’s iconic Gateway Arch, organizers announced Sept 23. The project, titled “Framing a Modern Masterpiece: The City + The Arch + The River,” aims to improve connections between the Arch grounds, downtown St. Louis, the Mississippi River and the Illinois bank. In addition to Valkenburgh, the winning team includes installation artist Ann Hamilton, who is serving this fall as the inaugural Arthur L. and Sheila Prensky Visiting Artist in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. Final design, budget and implementation plans all will be presented in January 2011, with construction to be completed by Oct. 28, 2015 — the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Arch.