Cornell’s New York City tech university — slated to open in 2017 — released plans of an innovative, energy efficient campus with views of both Manhattan and Queens.
“Just as Cornell Tech will be pioneering new approaches to graduate research and education, our campus won’t look like any other university campus that exists today,” said Daniel Huttenlocher, dean of Cornell Tech. “We are determined to innovate in every aspect of the development, from the way that students, faculty, researchers, industry and the community are intermingled, to the sustainability of our buildings and their iconic architecture.”
As the campus’ seven-month land use review process commences, the university released renderings of its Roosevelt Island campus that will soon be home to thousands of graduate students focused on technology and entrepreneurship.
The first academic building — designed Thom Mayne and Morphosis Architects — is planned to be a net-zero energy building, meaning it will create as much energy as it consumes, and will one of the largest energy-neutral buildings in the country, the university said.
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP designed the plan for the campus that will connect with the city and Roosevelt Island via a pedestrian walkway, feature public open spaces and buildings that connect outdoor and indoor spaces. Construction is planned to begin in 2014 with phase one expected to be completed in 2017. Aside from the academic building, the first phase will include a corporate co-location building, an executive education center with hotel facilities, a residential building for students, faculty, and staff, as well as more than one acre of public open space. The campus will continue to take shape over the next 25 years and is scheduled to be finished by 2037.
With construction ongoing, the university will operate in a temporary space donated by Google in Chelsea.
