vagelos education center by diller scofidio + renfro opens in new york

designed by diller scofidio + renfro, in collaboration with gensler as executive architect, the vagelos education center is a medical and graduate education building at new york’s columbia university medical center. the structure forms a 100,000-square-foot, 14-story glass tower that incorporates a range of classrooms and collaboration spaces, as well as a modern simulation center. now complete, the complex has been documented in new images taken by photographers iwan baan and nic lehoux.

image © iwan baan / all images courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

an important part of DS+R’s design is the ‘study cascade’, a network of spaces distributed across oversized landings along an open 14-story stair — a single, interconnected vertical space that extends from the lobby to the top of the building. these areas open onto south-facing outdoor spaces and terraces. other aspects of the building include ‘academic neighborhoods’ — groups of classrooms that can be easily be reconfigured — and a 275-seat multi-purpose auditorium.

the ‘study cascade’ is a network of spaces distributed across oversized landings
image © iwan baan

the building also integrates a range of sustainable features, including locally sourced materials, green roof technologies, and a mechanical system that minimizes energy and water use. even the façade features ceramic ‘frit’ patterns, baked onto the exterior glazing to diffuse sunlight. the vagelos education center works toward the goal of minimizing CUMC’s carbon footprint and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2025.

the lobby gestures out to its urban context
image © iwan baan

‘space matters for structured and informal learning,’ said elizabeth diller, founding partner at diller scofidio + renfro. ‘to support columbia’s progressive medical education program, we designed a building that will nurture collaboration. its defining feature is the study cascade — a 14-story network of vertically linked spaces in a variety of sizes, both focused and social, private and communal, indoors and out.’

the building incorporates a range of classrooms and collaboration spaces
image © iwan baan

the 265-seat auditorium and exterior terrace
image © iwan baan

the anatomy quad features integrated screens and task lighting
image © iwan baan

view of study cascade stair, which extends up the south face of the 14-story building
image © nic lehoux

anatomy lab with panoramic views of the city
image © nic lehoux

exterior view of the south façade and west court
image © nic lehoux

the social and study spaces that comprise the study cascade
image © nic lehoux

the study cascade stairs, anatomy lab, and multi purpose event space viewed from an adjacent building
image © nic lehoux

project info:

design and construction team –

diller scofidio + renfro
partner-in-charge: elizabeth diller
principal designers: ricardo scofidio AIA, charles renfro AIA, benjamin gilmartin AIA
project director: anthony saby
project architect: chris hillyard, AIA
design team: chris andreacola AIA, david chacon AIA, christopher kupski AIA LEED AP, barak pliskin AIA LEED AP, kevin rice AIA, gerard sullivan AIA, mary broaddus, charles curran, robert donnelly, amber foo, yoon-young hur, joshua jow, andreas kostopoulos, joseph dart messick, patrick ngo, matt ostrow, stefano paiocchi, jesse saylor, jack solomon, hallie terzopolos, elizabeth wisecarver

gensler
principal-in-charge: madeline burke-vigeland AIA, LEED AP
project manager: kristian gregerson AIA
technical director: ambrose aliaga-kelly AIA
design team: joanne fernando AIA, jinho kim AIA, michelle neary AIA, bill dubois, ana espejo, mariano ortiz, henry hong RA, scott wilson AIA

structural engineer: leslie e. robertson associates (LERA)
MEP engineer: jaros baum & bolles (JB&B)
landscape architect: SCAPE/landscape architecture
curtain wall consultants: buro happold consulting engineers P.C.
lighting consultants: tillotson design associates
acoustic / audio / visual consultants: cerami & associates, inc.
building code consultants: milrose consultants, inc.
elevator consultants: jenkins & huntington, inc. (JHI)
graphic designers: 2×4 and gensler
civil / geotechnical engineers: thornton tomasetti, weidlinger transportation practice
security and IT consultants: jaros baum & bolles (JB&B)
sustainability consultants: vidaris inc.
foodservice consultants: cini-little international, inc.
construction managers: FJ sciame construction co., inc.
owners representative: group PMX

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