Difference between revisions of "Northwest Corner Building"
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Sadly, for all the bluster about how building on the site helps fulfill the original [[McKim, Mead, and White]] plan for the campus, and for all that it will placate neighbors who can breathe easier about a "decontextual" science tower being erected in their backyards rather than on campus, construction ruined the very picturesque view from the northwest part of campus toward [[Union Theological Seminary]] and [[Riverside Church]], which gave one the vague, fleeting feeling of being at a university like [[Oxford]] rather than New York. | Sadly, for all the bluster about how building on the site helps fulfill the original [[McKim, Mead, and White]] plan for the campus, and for all that it will placate neighbors who can breathe easier about a "decontextual" science tower being erected in their backyards rather than on campus, construction ruined the very picturesque view from the northwest part of campus toward [[Union Theological Seminary]] and [[Riverside Church]], which gave one the vague, fleeting feeling of being at a university like [[Oxford]] rather than New York. | ||
| − | With little of the even trifling deference paid to the dominant architectural mode of campus by such recent additions as [[ | + | With little of the even trifling deference paid to the dominant architectural mode of campus by such recent additions as [[CEPSR]], [[Lerner]], or even [[Uris]] or [[Mudd]], which at least attempt to use brick or approximate neoclassicism with concrete, the Northwest Corner Building represents more of a departure from the McKim plan than practically any other purpose-built Columbia building in [[Morningside Heights]]. It looks as if Moneo (and the administration) were attempting to build a stronger bridge to the prospectively modernist mode of the new campus in [[Manhattanville]] more than anything else. |
Sadly, the effect of this is to increase the [[NYU]]-ification of the northern portion of a campus already crowded with tall buildings, rendering the university even less attractive to those looking for a [i]campus[/i] setting in the city, rather than a city setting on campus. | Sadly, the effect of this is to increase the [[NYU]]-ification of the northern portion of a campus already crowded with tall buildings, rendering the university even less attractive to those looking for a [i]campus[/i] setting in the city, rather than a city setting on campus. | ||
Revision as of 02:42, 13 October 2009
The Northwest Corner Building (known previously as the Interdisciplinary Science Building, and Northwest Science Building before that) has been destined by Columbia to fill the last remaining plot on the upper Morningside Heights campus. It is being built over the Levien Gym and the tennis courts between Pupin Hall and the Havemeyer extension, as well as the last undeveloped portion of the Grove just north of Levien and west of Pupin. The project started on 19 March 2007 and should be completed by 2010. Levien Gym won't be closed for the most part of the project, and Dodge Fitness Center as a whole won't close at all.
Contents
Building description
The building will be on the southeast corner of Broadway and 120th St, opposite Barnard's Nexus. It will be considerably taller than neighboring Pupin and Chandler Halls, though it will still connect to them via pedestrian bridges at multiple levels, similar to those connecting Pupin, CEPSR, and Mudd.
The 188,000 square foot building will feature a campus lobby, science library, lecture hall, several classrooms, faculty and administrative offices, and 7 floors of science and engineering laboratories. The street level floors are tentatively being reserved for a 120th St. lobby, lounge, dining location with access to the street, and possibly an entrance to the gym.
Design
The lead architect is José Rafael Moneo, selected by Bollinger for his "extreme sensitivity to context". To that end, Moneo designed a building shorter than would have been allowed at the site and hid mechanicals that would have otherwise been stored on the roof.
Sadly, for all the bluster about how building on the site helps fulfill the original McKim, Mead, and White plan for the campus, and for all that it will placate neighbors who can breathe easier about a "decontextual" science tower being erected in their backyards rather than on campus, construction ruined the very picturesque view from the northwest part of campus toward Union Theological Seminary and Riverside Church, which gave one the vague, fleeting feeling of being at a university like Oxford rather than New York.
With little of the even trifling deference paid to the dominant architectural mode of campus by such recent additions as CEPSR, Lerner, or even Uris or Mudd, which at least attempt to use brick or approximate neoclassicism with concrete, the Northwest Corner Building represents more of a departure from the McKim plan than practically any other purpose-built Columbia building in Morningside Heights. It looks as if Moneo (and the administration) were attempting to build a stronger bridge to the prospectively modernist mode of the new campus in Manhattanville more than anything else.
Sadly, the effect of this is to increase the NYU-ification of the northern portion of a campus already crowded with tall buildings, rendering the university even less attractive to those looking for a [i]campus[/i] setting in the city, rather than a city setting on campus.
Construction challenges
Bollinger also stipulated that the building show a commitment to embracing interdisciplinary science. In this vein, the building will be insulated to reduce the impact of vibrations from the subway on the laboratory spaces.
The greatest challenge facing the building's construction was the mandate it be built atop the school's underground gym, with no interruption in the gym's usability. In the 1970s, when Dodge Fitness Center was built, the Levien Gym was fitted with 4 super-columns at its corners, which would allow a building to be constructed above it without pesky additional columns. The Northwest Science Building was constructed on these super-columns, thus placing no weight on the Levien Gym roof, allowing it to remain open. Nevertheless, Moneo still had to employ truss construction to keep the building "floating" over the gym rather than resting on top of it, ensuring the basketball season could continue through construction.
History of the site
The Northwest Science Building was the source of the Athletics Facilities Scandal. In the early 1990s, the Athletics Department proposed an extension of Dodge for the site that would hold a teaching swimming pool, racquetball courts, and an international squash court. When the Athletics Director at the time, John Reeves, was unable to raise any money for construction, it was decided to use the site for a science building with a few floors for athletics. But when President Bollinger took office, Reeves's boss, Provost Jonathan Cole, "forgot" to tell PrezBo about the the plans. Cole decided to build a science-only building instead, without informing Reeves of the change in plan. Reeves found out when the Spectator broke the news about the building in 2004.
Building Name
When news of the building broke in 2004, the project was referred to as the Northwest Science Building. Shortly thereafter Interdisciplinary Science Building was adopted as the name for the project in order to reflect the building's purpose and function. However, in Fall 2009 the school renamed the project yet again to Northwest Corner Building, "in the hopes of attracting a wider array of donors."
