600 W. 125th Street
Columbia University, Manhattanville Campus
Renzo Piano Building Workshop (2019 - Present)
New York, New York
Aerial Perspective View of North Facade - Courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop / Columbia University
Commission: to design a new building for graduate student and faculty housing
Project Status
Ongoing / In Construction
Press Release
Columbia University ︎︎︎
RPBW ︎︎︎
Columbia University is constructing a new 34-story building to house graduate students and faculty members on the southwest corner of 125th Street and Broadway. The new building will be comprised of approximately 177,000 square feet and include 142 apartments and 5,000 square feet of retail space on the ground level, which will be occupied by returning lessee, McDonald’s.
The project follows the design, construction and sustainability principles established for the Manhattanville campus across the street. It aims to enhance the human-scale experience with active ground floor retail use, transparent storefront façade that promotes safety and connectivity at the urban layer, and slender building volume that provides for light and air with its generous setbacks. (Text from CU Website)
Responsibility
Design Team
Design Architect
- Project Manager
- Schematic Design through Construction Administration (All Phases)
Design Team
Design Architect
- Renzo Piano Building Workshop
- Cetra Ruddy Architecture
- (Undisclosed)
Perspective Rendering, Aerial View - Courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop / Columbia University
Perspective Rendering, Street Level - Courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop / Columbia University
Façade Drawings
Construction Progress Photo
Professional Projects
Melrose Branch
New York Public Library
Mitchell Giurgola Architects (2016-2019)
Bronx, New York
Exterior Rendering
Commission: to design an addition and renovation of a branch of the New York Public Library
Project Status
Ongoing
Read More
New York Public Library ︎︎︎
The Melrose Branch, originally built in 1914 and designed by Carrere and Hastings, suffered from a severe fire in 1959 that burned the upper floors. Surviving until now with only modest reconstruction and repairs, this branch was overdue for a major redesign.
Similar to how the punched windows below continue in a regular pattern across the facade, the newly proposed window wall rhythmically runs across the street facades.
It is capped with a deep aluminum fascia above to create a modern-day cornice.
Responsibility
Design Team
Architect
- Project Designer
- Schematic Design through Construction Documents
Design Team
Architect
- Mitchell Giurgola Architects
- Superstructures (Restoration)
- LERA (Structural)
- JFK&M (MEP)
- Cerami (AV/IT)
- Cline Bettridge Bernstein (Lighting)
- Conversano (Code)
- IROS (Elevator)
The existing condition needed another floor addition not only to satisfy growing programmatic requirements, but also to restore the proportions of the building closer to the balance and composition that the original neoclassical design had.
Mullion caps extend deep outside the glass, further accentuated at the round internal columns that coincide with the window spacing below. The existing punched windows are replaced with large clean windowpanes with minimal mullions.
The lower two floors housing the Adult and Teen reading rooms follow the NYPL Carnegie Design Standards developed by Mitchell Giurgola and used on the Hunts Point Branch, including white oak floors and custom books cases with built in benches at windows. The spaces are furnished with custom white oak reading tables and chairs. A three-story steel and black terrazzo stair connects the main reading rooms in a simple white volume punctured by vertical strip LED lights to accentuate the lofty space.
Children’s Room Interior Perspective
Early in the design process, the top floor reading room was reserved as the children’s floor to offer abundant natural light and the opportunity for lower sills to see out of.
The children’s reading room also features a wood slat ceiling to convey the warm wooden interiors to the street.
Library Projects
Hunts Point Branch
New York Public Library
Mitchell Giurgola Architects (2016-2019)
Bronx, New York
Exterior Photograph
Commission: to design a renovation of a branch of the New York Public Library
Located in the Bronx, the Hunts Point Branch, designed by Carrere and Hastings in 1927, is a beautiful example of the refined neoclassical approach. The parti is simple yet effective, two grand reading rooms stacked on top of each other with ancillary spaced moved to the back of the site. The team at Mitchell Giurgola was tasked with restoring the existing facade including window replacement, a new ADA compliant entrance ramp, and repairing and repointing of the brick facade.
On the inside, new white oak floors will be complimented with surrounding custom white oak bookshelves, built in window benches, custom white oak chairs and reading tables, and black terrazzo stairs. Once completed, the much needed overhaul will offer state of the art technological resources, meeting spaces, and beautiful reading rooms for Adults, Teens and Children, all in a clean and contemporary design that pays homage to the century old library traditions.
Responsibility
Design Team
Architect
- Project Designer
- Schematic Design through Construction Documents
Design Team
Architect
- Mitchell Giurgola Architects
- Superstructures (Restoration)
- LERA (Structural)
- JFK&M (MEP)
- Cerami (AV/IT)
- Cline Bettridge Bernstein (Lighting)
- Conversano (Code)
- IROS (Elevator)
Southern Boulevard Elevation - Existing
Tiffany Street Elevation - Existing
Southern Boulevard Elevation - Restored
The new Southern Boulevard Elevation reflects a return to the historic double hung wood windows and features a new limestone entrance ramp. The reading room employs traditional wood shelving wrapping the room with huge new windows to match the original. The space is filled with a thoughtful mixture of computer workstations, long communal tables, and clusters of lounge chairs. A new glass vestibule is introduced at the entrance, simple in form so as to not detract from the grand volume of the room.
Interior Perspective - Courtesy of Mitchell Giurgola Architects
Library Projects
Theater in Connecticut
Mitchell Giurgola Architects (2016-2019)
Norwalk, CT
Inerior Rendering
Commission: to design an addition and renovation of a college theater
Project Status
Ongoing
Norwalk Community College’s East Campus began with a long-pitched roof building, followed by a aggressive theater renovation that cut into the existing geometry, setting up a contrasting octagonal parti. The Mitchell Giurgola renovation resolves what was a pair of interlocking octagons in plan by introducing a straight street facade. The infill space in plan becomes much needed additional back of house support space, and the street facade takes on a pared down, minimalist aesthetic.
The interior theater renovation is extensive, only select existing structure will remain. The rake of the seating and shape of the auditorium is straightened out to be more rectangular, allowing for more seats and a more regular acoustical shape. Coupled with state-of-the-art theater equipment and an LED backlit aluminum wall, the new theater will be a dramatic surprise to many who enter, and it opens the doors to much more serious performers for the school.
Responsibility
Design Team
Architect
- Project Designer
- Schematic Design through Construction Documents
Design Team
Architect
- Mitchell Giurgola Architects
- Fletcher Thompson
- Ysrael A. Seinuk (Structural)
- Fletcher Thompson (MEP)
- Theater Projects (Theater)
- Dirtworks (Landscape)
- Alfred Benesch (Civil)
- Arup (Acoustic)
- Jaffe/Holden (Acoustic/IT/AV)
Longitudinal Section through Theater
Aerial Axonometric showing Existing Roof Design and New Street FacadeThe theater itself underwent a complete transformation. In addition to increasing the seating count, the sightlines were significantly improved by increasing the rake of seating. New acoustic paneling was introduced on all perimeter walls, and a LED backlit, water-cut aluminum feature wall was added to create a sense of drama from the new entrances. The existing open truss roof structure spanning over the theater seating was meticulously documented and reused as part of the new theater design.
The back of house addition includes: a larger stage support space with adjacent loading dock, a pair of new make-up and private dressing rooms, a conference room, and a separate stage support entrance. The scope of work also includes a reorganization of the traffic flow and a new landscape design for the main theater entrance.
Professional Projects
Robinson Theater
Ennead Architects (2013)
Little Rock, Arkansas
Interior Rendering, Theater
Commission: to renovate a neoclassical theater and design a conference hall addition
Project Status
Completed
Read more
Ennead Architects ︎︎︎
Located in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, the Robinson Theater is a prominent public building serving as an iconic set piece in the state’s capital.
The original facade is a grand, Greek revival style design produced in 1939 as part of the Works Projects Administration and is featured in the National Register of Historic Places.
The renovation and addition dramatically upgrade the performance capabilities of the space visually, acoustically, and in capacity.
This historic facade was meticulously restored and reconfigured to allow for an accessible entrance. The historic lobby entrance was also rejuvinated, and the following sequence into the theater was transformed into a new exhilerating space. The theater itself is an entirely reconfigured volume. On the opposite exterior elevation facing the Arkansas River, a contemporary, cantilevered glass box is added, offering a new conference space and ballroom.
Responsibility
Design Team
Design Architect
- Project Designer
- Schematic Design
Design Team
Design Architect
- Ennead Architects
- Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects
- Engineering Consultants, Inc. (Structural)
- TME, Inc Consulting (MEP)
- Schuler Shook (Theater)
- Tillotson (Lighting)
- Landscape Architecture Inc. (Landscape)
- McClelland Consulting (Civil)
- Jaffe Holden (Acoustic)
- Syska Hennessey (IT/AV)
The new ballroom addition features generous ceiling heights and floor to ceiling glass with panoramic views of the Arkansas River. The new volume draws inspiration from the strongly articulated geometry of the neoclassical facade while translating it into a contemporary aesthetic. A subtle kink in plan of the addition is a gesture toward the view of the new Broadway Bridge.
Once passing through the historic lobby space, the visitor confronts a triple height curved interior facade. Like a giant bowl holding the rear volume of the theater, this curved face hosts a pair of curved staircases that dance down to the lower level ticketing and service spaces. This not only creates a dramatic entrance to the newly renovated space, but also decongests the entry area to allow for a greater freedom of movement.
The theater volume itself was totally reconfigured to suit the latest acoustic and visual demands. The previous conference space below the theater was removed to allow for a steeper rake of seating, better sightlines, and as a result, a second balcony of seating. The significantly increased stage height also improves the acoustic performance greatly. The theater walls and side balcony faces feature folded planes that dampen sound as well as orient the view toward the stage.
Professional Projects
Architect, Artist, Writer
Architect, Artist, Writer