Cooper Union Unveils Design for New Academic Center

A new 200,000-s.f. academic center for the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is taking shape. The college recently unveiled a design by Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, a firm based in Santa Monica, Calif., for a nine-story building on the east side of Third Ave. between 6th and 7th Sts. It will stand across the street from the college's landmark Foundation Building built in 1859.

Construction on the new facility is slated to begin in early 2006, kicking off a 20-month project schedule, according to a statement. The school will raze its Hewitt Building, the existing structure on site constructed in 1908. That building, which houses the school's art studios, public programs, and architecture archives, is not eligible for landmark status, a spokeswoman said.

In addition to Morphosis and New York-based associate architect Gruzen Samton LLP, the college has selected F.J. Sciame Construction Co., Inc., of New York as construction manager. It has also hired Horne Rose, a unit of New York-based Jonathan Rose Companies, as owner's representative.

The new facility will primarily house Cooper Union's Albert Nerken School of Engineering but also contain space for humanities, social sciences, architecture, and art programs. The facilities will include study space and learning laboratories outfitted with mechanical, structural, telecommunications, and environmental technologies available for student and faculty use.

The design aims for a "vertical campus." A central atrium will rise through the entire structure, connected by various sky bridges and serving as both a building-wide connector and vantage point to the city outside. The four facades, meanwhile, feature glazing that allows views into the atrium from outside.

Beyond the open look, the design envisions a sustainable, energy-efficient structure. The steel-and-glass exterior offers better control over daylight, energy use, and natural ventilation as it reduces heat radiation in the summer and insulates the building during cold weather. It also features green mechanical systems and plans for a co-generation plant on site.

The school is calling the new facility, which it has not yet named, the linchpin of plans to stay in the top tier of America's private colleges. But it is also the core of its real estate plans, which it described in the recent statement. Those plans include leasing another site on Lafayette St. and 4th Ave. to the Related Companies, which is erecting a residential building on the site. Upon completion of the new academic center, the college will also raze its existing engineering school structure at 51 Astor Pl. and lease that property for a planned mixed-use commercial and academic development.

Fox & Fowle Wins Award for School Design

The American Institute of Architects New York Chapter has selected the design for Perth Amboy High School in New Jersey to receive a Merit Award under its project awards category. The AIANY honor, given at its 2004 Design Awards Symposium, recognized the work of Fox & Fowle Architects, the project architect.

Fox & Fowle's proposed design would combine a high school and cultural center that reinforces diversity in the industrial city. The design aims to support the identity of five distinct academies in the school, creating a mix of individual units that are part of a greater school community. The plan also includes sustainable design elements, such as green roofs, advanced stormwater runoff management, operable windows, structural insulated panels, and ample natural lighting. Some will also double as environmental teaching tools.

Underscoring the firm's green credentials, Bruce Fowle, a senior principal, has earned the LEED accredited professional designation. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, aims to recognize professionals who have substantial knowledge about sustainable design and pass an accreditation exam.

Fowle has had a major role in notable green projects such as the Condé Nast Building at 4 Times Square in Manhattan, touted as the first sustainable skyscraper, as well as the Reuters Building at 3 Times Square and a green residential tower planned for Battery Park City in lower Manhattan. Overall, Fox & Fowle has 18 LEED-accredited staffers among its 100 employees.

Designing Relief for the Hungry

The 12th Annual Canstruction Competition opens for public view this month in the showrooms of the New York Design Center at 200 Lexington Ave.

Thirty-five of New York City's top architectural and engineering firms competed to design and build giant-sized objects made entirely of full cans of food. The Society of Design Administration, the American Institute of Architects, and the New York Design Center co-sponsor the event.

The 100,000 pounds of food this charity competition expects to generate will benefit the Food Bank for New York City. Admission to the exhibition, which runs from Nov. 11 to Nov. 24, is one can of food.