first phase of cornell tech's new york campus nears completion

with an opening scheduled for september 2017, the first phase of cornell tech’s new york campus is nearing completion. located on roosevelt island, a narrow strip of land in NYC’s east river, the major development will eventually include two million square feet of state-of-the-art buildings, more than two acres of open space, and will be home to more than 2,000 graduate students. construction work began in 2014, with buildings by morphosis and weiss/manfredi forming part of the masterplan.

the campus is located on new york’s roosevelt island
image by max touhey (also main image)

with the architecture now starting to take shape, cornell tech has announced that it is on track to complete one of the world’s most sustainable campuses. among other solutions, the site will use photovoltaic panels, a geothermal ground source heat pump, and ‘smart building features’ in order to limit energy use. designed by morphosis, the ‘bloomberg center’ will be the first academic building on the campus, and intends to reach net zero and LEED platinum status. it is hoped that all energy needed to power the all-electric building will be generated on site.

the ‘bloomberg center’ will be the first academic building on site

the four-story building includes 160,000 square feet of academic space with a narrow profile that allows for views across the island. designed to encourage impromptu meetings, the ‘bloomberg center’ incorporates a 40,000-gallon rainwater harvesting tank buried under the campus lawn, providing non-potable water for toilets, building cooling, and site irrigation. the structure has also been raised to increase its resiliency and protect against the risk of future flooding.

the building intends to reach net zero and LEED platinum status
image courtesy of morphosis

‘we are thrilled to work with cornell tech on a design reflecting their commitment to pioneering new standards in building performance,’ said ung-joo scott lee, principal architect at morphosis, and project principal and manager of the bloomberg center. ‘the bloomberg center’s design makes groundbreaking strides in sustainability while simultaneously fostering interdisciplinary communication among students, faculty, administrators and visitors and complementing and invigorating the surrounding roosevelt island community.’

all energy needed to power the all-electric building will be generated on site
image courtesy of morphosis

nearby, ‘the bridge’ — an office building designed by weiss/manfredi — is also topped with a solar array, providing additional renewable energy. the building will house young companies who will work alongside cornell’s academic teams — from recent graduates to emerging start-ups. meanwhile, the first residential building on campus — ‘the house’, designed by handel architects — will be the world’s first high-rise passive house building. its façade features a prefabricated metal panel system that acts as thermal insulation.

‘the bridge’ — an office building designed by weiss/manfredi — is also topped with a solar array
image by max touhey

‘cornell tech will have some of the most environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient buildings in the world,’ said dan huttenlocher, dean of cornell tech. ‘the bloomberg center is our main academic hub on campus and, inspired by the bloomberg model, we’re reinforcing our commitment to innovation and sustainability by pushing the boundaries of current energy efficiency practices and setting a new standard for building in new york.’

see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

the building will house young companies who will work alongside cornell’s academic teams