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
| May 18, 2011
Raphael Viñoly’s serpentine-shaped building snakes up San Francisco hillside
The hillside location for the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine building at the University of California, San Francisco, presented a challenge to the Building Team of Raphael Viñoly, SmithGroup, DPR Construction, and Forell/Elsesser Engineers. The 660-foot-long serpentine-shaped building sits on a structural framework 40 to 70 feet off the ground to accommodate the hillside’s steep 60-degree slope.
| May 18, 2011
One of Delaware’s largest high schools seeks LEED for Schools designation
The $82 million, 280,000-sf Dover (Del.) High School will have capacity for 1,800 students and feature a 900-seat theater, a 2,500-seat gymnasium, and a 5,000-seat football stadium.
| May 17, 2011
Sustainability tops the syllabus at net-zero energy school in Texas
Texas-based firm Corgan designed the 152,200-sf Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas, with the goal of creating the largest net-zero educational facility in the nation, and the first in the state. The facility is expected to use 50% less energy than a standard school.
| May 16, 2011
USGBC and AIA unveil report for greening K-12 schools
The U.S. Green Building Council and the American Institute of Architects unveiled "Local Leaders in Sustainability: A Special Report from Sundance," which outlines a five-point national action plan that mayors and local leaders can use as a framework to develop and implement green schools initiatives.
| May 10, 2011
Greenest buildings: K-12 and commercial markets
Can you name the nation’s greenest K-12 school? How about the greenest commercial building? If you drew a blank, don’t worry because our friends at EarthTechling have all the information on those two projects. Check out the Hawai’i Preparatory Academy’s Energy Lab on the Big Island and Cascadia Green Building Council’s new Seattle headquarters.
| Apr 12, 2011
College of New Jersey facility will teach teachers how to teach
The College of New Jersey broke ground on its 79,000-sf School of Education building in Ewing, N.J.
| Mar 15, 2011
What Starbucks taught us about redesigning college campuses
Equating education with a cup of coffee might seem like a stretch, but your choice of college, much like your choice of coffee, says something about the ability of a brand to transform your day. When Perkins + Will was offered the chance to help re-think the learning spaces of Miami Dade College, we started by thinking about how our choice of morning coffee has changed over the years, and how we could apply those lessons to education.
| Mar 15, 2011
Passive Strategies for Building Healthy Schools, An AIA/CES Discovery Course
With the downturn in the economy and the crash in residential property values, school districts across the country that depend primarily on property tax revenue are struggling to make ends meet, while fulfilling the demand for classrooms and other facilities.
| Mar 11, 2011
Oregon childhood center designed at child-friendly scale
Design of the Early Childhood Center at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore., focused on a achieving a child-friendly scale and providing outdoor learning environments.
