Rendering via Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Diller Scofidio + Renfro is already lauded for their renovation of Lincoln Center, the High Line, and Hudson Yards’ The Shed and Fifteen Hudson Yards, among many others. Further uptown, they beat out several contenders to design a pair of buildings for Columbia Business School as part of the Manhattanville campus expansion.
A recent pass by the site shows the foundation and its slurry walls holding back the Hudson are nearly complete. The buildings will be called the Henry R. Kravis Building and Ronald O. Perelman Center for Business Innovation in honor of two prominent benefactors. The two buildings will be separated by a central green outdoor space; inside, classrooms, faculty offices, lounge areas, and support space will be spread over a total of over 450,000 square feet. The multifunctional space will foster a sense of community and allow students, faculty, alumni, and other stakeholders to come together and exchange ideas.
Construction photos via CityRealty
As an earlier 6sqft article noted, the buildings’ surfaces meld seamlessly into other planes and creates recessed carveouts that seemingly could be traced from the bottom of the building to the top. Floors alternate between cantilevering volumes sheathed in fritted glass to recessed levels outfitted with transparent glass, giving the compositions an eaten-away, ant farm-like appearance.
Enlarge Image
Enlarge Image
Enlarge Image
Enlarge Image
Enlarge Image
Enlarge Image
The buildings take some design cues from Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center, a 100,000-square-foot tower Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed for Columbia University Medical Center. Aside from their zig-zag cutaway facades, they both recognize the value of collaborative gathering space and incorporate them wherever possible. “The design recognizes that creativity, innovation, and communication – skills often nurtured in information environments – are as important to business school pedagogy as the traditional, quantitative skills best taught in a classroom,” says the design team on its website.
Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center (Credit: Iwan Baan)
The 17-acre Manhattanville campus expansion will operate on the principle that “the project is not about bricks and mortar, but rather about transforming the School.” It will double the school’s physical size and rejuvenate the area from a residential standpoint. The business school buildings’ opening is anticipated for 2021, and the full buildout is planned for the 2020s.
Renderings of new Columbia Business School buildings via Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Manhattanville Campus from the southeast. Image Credit: Columbua University
Content Specialist
Michelle Mazzarella
Michelle is a contributing writer and editor for real estate news in New York City
6sqft delivers the latest on real estate, architecture, and design, straight from New York City.
