NEW YORK | Roosevelt Island Science Center

[fimiak]

If it ends up as good as Cooper Union then this will be an amazing coup for Bloomberg.

[NYguy]

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/05...t-emailed-24h5

Cornell Thinks Big As Well As Bold for Roosevelt Island Campus



By Justin Davidson
5/9/12

In case Cornell’s plan to build a high-tech research center on Roosevelt Island left any doubt about the rural university’s urban ambitions, the selection of Thom Mayne and his Los Angeles–based firm Morphosis to design the campus’ anchor building makes it clear that the school’s thinking is bold as well as big. The structure — and, eventually, the whole campus — will be as prominent on the East River’s skyline as the Pepsi-Cola sign, an icon of the city’s postindustrial intellectual economy. And while Mayne has no idea what form it will take, what he has in mind is not just a box full of classrooms, but architecture that plays an urban role.

This project, he says, “challenges the ivory towerness of the campus and embeds it into the city.” That’s a crucial part of the whole rationale: to send sparks of invention leaping across the river, from the new campus to the medical complexes of Manhattan’s East Side and to startup ventures in Long Island City.

The $100 million that the Bloomberg administration has promised to plow into the project should buy a design that helps knit Roosevelt Island into the heart of the city.....But whatever shape and size Mayne and his upstate clients choose for the inaugural building, it will need to feel like an integral part of New York. The architect has not yet scrutinized Skidmore Owings and Merrill rather stolid master plan, in which blocky buildings are sprinkled, suburban-style, across an open green. But Mayne dangles the possibility that he will meddle with that scheme rather than take it as a set of givens. He starts daydreaming about a building that doubles as a bridge. “You could sling a piece across the river on one side towards Manhattan and it would open all kinds of fantastic possibilities for linkages.”

[Eidolon]

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/1...and_campus.php
Cornell Unveils Design Details for Roosevelt Island Campus
Monday, October 15, 2012,
by Jessica Dailey

And so it begins. To kick off the seven-month public review process of Cornell Tech NYC, Cornell University released new renderings and design details for the 2.1 million square foot tech campus that will transform Roosevelt Island from a sleepy residential neighborhood to an ecotastic high-tech hub. The campus "won't look like any other university campus that exists today," says Cornell's Dean. It will be built in two phases, with the first phase breaking ground in 2014 for a 2017 completion. Phase one will have large open public areas to blend outside and indoor space, a "pedestrian spine" linking to Four Freedoms Park, a student residence, and a net-zero academic building designed by Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects.

Looks nice, a very big improvement over what is there right now.

[NYguy]

I'm liking it...


http://observer.com/2012/10/cornell-...rphosis-ulurp/

For Its Roosevelt Island Tech Campus, Cornell Pursues Some Cutting Edge Designs by Thom Mayne and SOM


Matt Chaban
10/15/12

When technology changes at the speed of a microprocessor or the flicker of a screen, in the time it takes to type in a password or hit send on an email, how can buildings be created to contain all this light-speed innovation? That is the quandry confronting the architects designing Cornell and Technion University’s news campus on Roosevelt Island.

“Google didn’t exist 25 years ago, Facebook didn’t exist 25 years ago, even AOL didn’t exist 25 years ago,” Andrew Winters said on a recent afternoon. The director of capital projects and planning for Cornell NYC Tech, he was giving a preview of the the school’s proposed Roosevelt Island campus in a large conference room inside the Wall Street offices of SOM, the master planners for the 12.5-acre project. Thom Mayne, the Pritzker Prize-winning L.A. architect designing the first academic building on the campus was also present, along with a number of other Cornell construction executives.

“The challenge,” Mr. Winters continued, “is how do you create a tech campus today that is still flexible enough to grow and evolve for the next 25 years?”

This was not simply a philosophical question. Like all projects large and small in the city, Cornell NYC Tech would be defined by an unforgiving zoning text, a set of parcels, parameters, pathways and public open space, boxes, empty vessels into which the creative designs and desires of thousands of engineers and entrepreneurs would be filled for decades to come. The plan calls for four new buildings just south of the Queensboro Bridge by 2017 and six more by 2038, for a total of roughly 2 million square feet—about the size of the Google building in Chelsea.

The public review process, including specific plans for the first phase and more general ideas about the rest of the project, begins today when the City Planning Commission is expected to certify the project. It then faces half a year of intensive community scrutiny, though recent meetings on Roosevelt Island have shown broad, positive support for the campus. The site is already occupied by a 1930s hospital building set to be decommissioned next year. Once that happens, demolition will commence to make way for the campus

[Crawford]

Looks pretty good. Cornell's presence in NYC is growing so much.

Now that Cornell, Columbia, and NYU have all received funding for tech-related investments, I hope Carnegie Mellon goes ahead with their Brooklyn venture. It would be great to have four world-class tech initiatives.

[NYguy]

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...NOMY/121129936

Taking shelter in CornellNYC Tech
Roosevelt Islanders want to ride out the next storm on the $2 billion tech campus, saying it should be designed to be able to provide
food, water and electricity for stranded residents.





By Annie Karni
November 27, 2012

After the northern tip and the western promenade of skinny Roosevelt Island flooded last month during Superstorm Sandy, community leaders brainstormed how to protect 14,000 residents, many of them elderly and disabled, from future natural disasters if evacuation proved impossible. Their solution: turn CornellNYC Tech, the $2 billion planned technology and applied sciences campus, whose first buildings are expected to open on Roosevelt Island in 2017, into a self-sustaining city—a place where residents could live for days without aid from the outside world.

The city's Office of Emergency Management often recommends residents "shelter in place" during a disaster if evacuating is impossible. Being stranded is perhaps more likely to happen on the low-lying island than anywhere else in the city. It is accessible only by one subway line, one tram and one bridge to Queens.

Ms. Polivy said islanders want Cornell's construction to incorporate amenities that would make it the go-to "shelter in place" for the community—a safe, enclosed place to weather a storm. Cornell officials said they were reviewing the request and also looking into expanding transportation options with ferries to and from the island.

The university is already being designed with future storms in mind. Even before Sandy, plans were underway to raise the site above the floodplain by six or seven feet with materials from the demolished Goldwater Hospital, said Andrew Winters, director of capital projects and planning for CornellNYC Tech.

"Based on the 100-year-flood plain, storm surges, global warming, it all leads to the conclusion that the required height is about 16 feet for elevation," Mr. Winters said. "We were already going to 20 or 21 feet pre-Sandy."

The remaining question is whether the university can take on island residents in a crisis—a population that would dwarf the 2,500 students and 300 faculty members who will eventually inhabit the two-million square foot campus.

[NYguy]

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/1...and_campus.php

Community Board Approves Cornell's Roosevelt Island Campus





December 20, 2012
by Jessica Dailey

Cornell has cleared the first hurdle in the ULURP process for its tech campus on Roosevelt Island. Last night, Manhattan Community Board 8 approved the university's plans for Cornell Tech NYC. The 2.1 million-square-foot campus will completely transform the island's southern tip, with construction starting in 2014. Cornell sent out a press release only announcing the approval, but Roosevelt Islander says it was approved with "an exhaustive list of conditions." However, the blog does not detail what the conditions are.

The first phase will have a 150,000-square-foot, net-zero academic building by Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, a "pedestrian spine" linking the campus to Four Freedoms Park, a student residence, plus an executive building with hotel, a corporate co-location. If all goes as planned, it will open in 2017 and be fully built-out by 2037.

[NYguy]

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...TATE/130629953

Cornell taps lead developer for NY tech campus
Forest City Ratner wins the preliminary nod to oversee construction of the first two buildings that will rise on Roosevelt Island, as well as the open space and infrastructure.

By Daniel Geiger
June 24, 2013

Cornell University announced Monday that it has reached a preliminary deal under which Brooklyn-based Forest City Ratner will become the "master developer" for the opening phase of construction of Cornell Tech, the engineering and technology campus the school is planning to build on Roosevelt Island.

Under the arrangement, Forest City Ratner will erect and own the second building to rise on the site, a 200,000-square-foot property that will provide space for private-sector tenants involved in the same sort of technological and scientific fields that Cornell will be focusing its academic efforts on. The development firm will also take over duties of constructing the first property, a building that Cornell plans to use entirely for classrooms and other academic facilities, from the university.

The ground breaking for that initial building, which will be nearly 150,000 square feet and is expected to cost around $200 million, is slated for next year. The property is being designed by the firm Morphosis, and is aiming to achieve a zero carbon footprint. Forest City Ratner will not acquire this property but work simply as a developer for hire on the project.

The architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi will design the second property, where private companies will be the major drivers/tenants and where Cornell plans to lease about 50,000 square feet of space for classroom and academic facilities.

In addition to its work on the first two buildings, Forest City Ratner will oversee the construction of open space and infrastructure at the new campus under the deal which Cornell Tech noted has yet to be finalized.

[Hypothalamus]

Curbed NY:

Cornell Tech Selects Developer For 350-Unit Residence
Monday, December 16, 2013, by Jessica Dailey

The megaproject is on track for a 2014 groundbreaking, and today Cornell NYC Tech announced that its first residential building will be developed by a joint venture between the Hudson Companies and Related Companies. The project will be a 350-unit residence for students, staff, and faculty, and it will have a mix of micro units and one- to three-bedroom apartments. Amenities include a gym, bike room, lounge, roof deck, and common rooms for studying and media use. It will be designed by Handel Architects, with assistance from the engineers at Buro Happold who will help with the building's "low-energy strategy." Construction of the campus is set to begin early next year, but work won't begin on the residential building until 2015.

The entire campus will take 20 years to build, but the first phase should open in 2017. In addition to the residential building, the first phase includes a 150,000-square-foot, net-zero academic building by Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, a walkway linking the campus with Four Freedoms Park, a hotel, and a corporate co-location center.

[Camstonisland]

In this instance, I actually like the plain glass boxes, the irregular road configuration gives it enough character already!

[ablerock]

Cornell has released more details about the plan with lots of renderings and a great video:

http://tech.cornell.edu/future-campus/

• Video Link

[Hypothalamus]

New York YIMBY:

Permits Filed: 480 Main Street
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON DECEMBER 19TH 2013 AT 6:00 AM


480 Main Street - image from Google Maps

A new 21-story and 200,000 square foot residential building is set to begin rising at 480 Main Street, on Roosevelt Island. The tower will stand 266 feet tall and contain 195 units. The development will be part of Riverwalk, and permits for construction were just approved.

Related and the Hudson Companies are developing the project, and Handel is the architect of record. New development is relatively rare on Roosevelt Island, given its geographic constraints, and the density of 480 Main Street will help enliven the community, which is isolated from both Manhattan and Queens.

Besides 480 Main Street, Cornell’s new technology campus will soon rise on the southern end of the island, adding to its appeal — and potentially allowing Roosevelt Island to evolve into a convenient residential node for New York’s high-tech community, which perfectly coincides with 480 Main Street’s future.

Permit figures conflict with the project’s website, which lists the number of units as 266; it seems the discrepancy may have been a mix-up of the building’s height, and the actual number of apartments. Regardless, completion is expected in 2015.

Note: This is a building north of the 59th Street Bridge:

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by ablerock

This development will dramatically change the island's "sleepy" appearance. As you walk down the promenade, with it's view of the Manhattan skyline,
you wonder why more people aren't over there enjoying the scene. It will be a very different atmosphere when this complex is complete.

[NYC2ATX]

Originally Posted by ablerock

There AIN'T no party like a NEW YORK party 'cuz a NEW YORK party don't STOP.

[ablerock]

Anyone have any thoughts or insights into whether the new buildings might be plugged into Roosevelt Island's pneumatic trash system? I've no idea what it would take to build out. I've always thought that was such cool infrastructure. But I'm not sure if/how that system fits into contemporary approaches to energy and sustainability.

According to this diagram from a recent wired.com article, it's outside of the current tube network, but perhaps it could be extended to reach the campus area.



http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/...ucking-island/

[ablerock]

Originally Posted by NYguy

This development will dramatically change the island's "sleepy" appearance. As you walk down the promenade, with it's view of the Manhattan skyline,
you wonder why more people aren't over there enjoying the scene. It will be a very different atmosphere when this complex is complete.

Totally. It's going to be such a special campus, unlike any other. I'm super excited to see how it affects the rest of the island, with new service providers, shops, restaurants and the like coming in to support the higher population. It's such a strange little place and this injection of campus design, educational energy and students are really going to change it. I think it will lose a bit of its calmness, which is a nice respite sometimes, but the positives will outweigh the negatives, imho.

[Crawford]

Re. that first residential tower for Cornell Tech, that is just a placeholder. The design has not yet been released.

Supposedly it will be 27 floors and have a mix of units for professors and graduate students. The adjacent, shorter building (also just a placeholder for now) will be a hotel and conference center.

[Hypothalamus]

Construction website made with updates: Cornell Tech's Roosevelt Island Construction Project site

January 17-January 31 Look Ahead
JANUARY 17, 2014

We are excited to announce the expected beginning of the barging operation next week with the arrival of a barge-based crane, and the delivery of fence materials and empty containers for debris removal. In order to maintain public safety during barging operations, the east roadway and promenade will be closed for the duration of the abatement and demolition project, beginning on approximately January 22nd.

In order to accommodate traffic to South Point Park and Four Freedoms Park, the west roadway will be modified to accommodate two-way traffic, including the creation of a temporary vehicle turn-around near the west entrance to South Point Park. The roadway modification and construction of the turn-around is expected to take several weeks and, during that time, the west roadway will be closed to all but emergency vehicles. Following the completion of this work, no later than April 1, the west roadway will be re-opened.

The west pedestrian promenade will be opened for the entire duration of the abatement and demolition project, including the time when the west roadway will be closed.

The site fence will take approximately 3 weeks to install.

The first demolition work will be interior demolition, which will include the removal of interior partitions, walls and ceilings. All of the debris from the interior demolition will be placed in containers and removed from the site by barge.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by ablerock

Anyone have any thoughts or insights into whether the new buildings might be plugged into Roosevelt Island's pneumatic trash system? I've no idea what it would take to build out. I've always thought that was such cool infrastructure. But I'm not sure if/how that system fits into contemporary approaches to energy and sustainability.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/...ucking-island/

Manhattan's mail used to travel that way as well...


MAP

http://newyorknatives.com/new-yorks-...crazy-awesome/
http://untappedcities.com/2013/03/15...-mail-network/



http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=7071

Ithaca on the East River
Roosevelt Island tech campus by Morphosis, Handel, Weiss/Manfredi, and Field Operations taking shape.





Alan G. Brake
1.28.14

The first three buildings and first phase of the landscape of the new Cornell NYCTech campus on Roosevelt Island, emphasizing collaboration across disciplines and sustainable design principles, were revealed at the end of December. Thom Mayne of Morphosis is designing the largest building, which will include classrooms, labs, and collaborative educational spaces. Weiss/Manfredi is designing a hybrid educational and commercial incubator building on the Queens facing side of the island. Handel Architects are designing a tower adjacent to the Queensboro Bridge for student and faculty housing.

Mayne’s trapezoidal building features a central core that aligns with 57th Street on the Manhattan Street grid. The residential and incubator buildings frame another view corridor out to Queens. A vast super structure supports a giant solar array, which will allow the building to produce as much energy as its occupants consume. “Aligning with Cornell Tech’s interdisciplinary academic mission, the design merges site planning, building planning, engineering, and architecture into an integrated and performative solution,” wrote Mayne in a statement. A ground floor café, accessible to the public, will help link the campus back to the more developed northern end of the island.

Weiss/Manfredi’s seven-story building, dubbed the “Corporate Co-Location Building,” will contain spaces for research and development projects for industry and the academy. It too features a large rooftop solar array and is aiming for net-zero energy use. Manfredi called the building “a flexible platform bringing industry and the academy together.”

The residential building is only in the schematic phase, but Handel emphasized that there will be apartments of all sizes, from large faculty apartments suited for families, to modest studios for students. The building is expected to house about 550 people. The project uses passive design principles with the goal of creating a carbon neutral facility.

James Corner Field Operations will connect to the existing island esplanade and weave a series of intimate gathering areas with more open spaces. Strategies are being put in place to retain all stormwater onsite. Park space will total two and a half acres.

At the press unveiling, Mayne spoke about the need to improve connectivity to the island, possibly with a pedestrian and cyclist connection off the Queensboro Bridge or adding ferry service. While the island’s population and activity will go with these first three buildings, they are only the beginning. The full campus will eventually include five additional buildings, possibly for educational use or for private industry.

[CCs77]

Not very keen on the residential buildings. I think they should not be taller than the Queensboro deck, and if they are, be located as far as possible from it, near the roosevelt memorial. The view of the skyline from that bridge is legendary and should reamain unobstructed for the entire span IMO.