Ennead Architects scoops top level design award for Medgar Evers College
The Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) and the American Institute of Architects Committee on Architecture for Education (AIA-CAE) have awarded a Special Citation for Excellence in Architecture for a New Building to Academic Building 1 at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York. The building, which houses the School of Science, Health and Technology, is the first new building of the College’s master plan, completed by Ennead in 1995. Design Partner Todd Schliemann and Management Partner Joseph Fleischer led the design team. Roberta Washington Architects was the Associate Architect.
The SCUP Awards recognise excellence in comprehensive campus design and planning. Academic Building 1 defines a new campus identity and furthers the College’s mission to provide an environment in which students obtain a high quality, career-oriented undergraduate science education. The building provides thirteen state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories for physics, chemistry, biology, nursing and computer science, which have been designed for maximum flexibility, allowing them to be used for different subjects throughout the academic year.
“Architecture is a living testament to the communal effort. My hope is that the students, faculty, administrators, and visitors who walk through the doors of the new Science, Health and Technology Building will find others of like mind. This architecture was designed to bring everyone together,” comments Schliemann.
The light-filled corridors, lobby and stairs adjacent the glass curtain wall provide views out to the community and allow the community to witness the activity within, encourage student and faculty interaction and the interdisciplinary mingling that enriches the educational experience. Articulating the entry lobby and cafeteria as an independent volume allows these spaces to become the identity of the College. The multifaceted glass curtain wall of the pavilion creates a beacon at night, further emphasising the project’s goal of transparency and community inclusion and helping to ensure that Medgar Evers College will be a beacon in the community for years to come.
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