New York University has recently revealed the design of a new $1 billion development comprising a gym, a swimming pool, performance theaters, and classrooms at 181 Mercer Street. The 735,000-sf building will include a variety of academic facilities and be topped by faculty and student housing towers, TheRealDeal.com reports.
An all-glass façade allows people to see directly into the hallways and staircases that circle the perimeter of the structure. The building will be about 300 feet long and sit on what is dubbed a ‘super block.’
There will be 58 general-purpose classrooms and the largest theater will be able to seat 350 people. Additionally, the new building will house NYU’s first orchestral ensemble room. 7,500 sf of the project will be used for a public atrium and community events.
NYU is excited about the proposed building, but others have taken issue with it. Neighborhood activists worry that the building will be an eyesore and the land the project is designated for should instead be used for a park. Despite these protests, a court decision in 2015 gave the development the all clear to move forward.
Currently, the Coles Sports and Recreation building is in the process of being demolished to make room for the new building. This phase is expected to be completed in early February 2017. Excavation, which includes the removal of existing foundation, rock, and soil, will then begin and continue for about seven months. After that, foundation work will continue through late 2018. Enclosure of the building is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2020. Finally, interior construction and landscaping will take place, with the entire project scheduled for completion in late 2021.
Davis Brody Bond and KieranTimberlake are the architects for the project. Turner Construction Co. is the contractor.
Rendering courtesy of StudioAMD
Rendering courtesy of StudioAMD
Related Stories
University Buildings | Feb 17, 2015
BD+C exclusive: How security is influencing campus design and construction
Campus crime—whether real or perceived—presents Building Teams with more opportunities for early-stage consultation with university clients.
Sponsored | Roofing | Feb 11, 2015
New school blends with local architecture using Petersen metal roof
Perkins Eastman in Stamford, Conn., designed the school to emphasize and integrate the International Baccalaureate curriculum throughout.
Architects | Feb 11, 2015
Shortlist for 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award announced
Copenhagen, Berlin, and Rotterdam are the cities where most of the shortlisted works have been built.
Cultural Facilities | Feb 6, 2015
Under the sea: Manmade island functions as artificial reef
The proposed island would allow visitors to view the enormous faux-reef and its accompanying marine life from the water’s surface to its depths, functioning as an educational center and marine life reserve.
Cultural Facilities | Feb 5, 2015
5 developments selected as 'best in urban placemaking'
Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, S.C., and the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Downtown Market are among the finalists for the 2015 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence.
Higher Education | Feb 3, 2015
Integrated Learning Neighborhoods: A solution for linking student housing with the typical student experience
Just as urban housing fits into the city as a whole, student housing can be integrated into the campus network as a series of living/learning neighborhoods, write Gensler's Brian Watson and Mark McMinn.
| Jan 7, 2015
University of Chicago releases proposed sites for Obama library bid
There are two proposed sites for the plan, both owned by the Chicago Park District in Chicago’s South Side, near the university’s campus in Hyde Park, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
| Jan 7, 2015
4 audacious projects that could transform Houston
Converting the Astrodome to an urban farm and public park is one of the proposals on the table in Houston, according to news site Houston CultureMap.
| Jan 6, 2015
Snøhetta unveils design proposal of the Barack Obama Presidential Center Library for the University of Hawaii
The plan by Snøhetta and WCIT Architecture features a building that appears square from the outside, but opens at one corner into a rounded courtyard with a pool, Dezeen reports.
| Jan 2, 2015
Construction put in place enjoyed healthy gains in 2014
Construction consultant FMI foresees—with some caveats—continuing growth in the office, lodging, and manufacturing sectors. But funding uncertainties raise red flags in education and healthcare.
