Clean bill of health for medical student accommodation

Project: Weill Cornell Medicine New Student Residence

Award: Future Projects – Residential, Bronze, 2022

Location: New York, USA

Architect: Perkins&Will

Client: Weill Cornell Medicine

This new student residence for Weill Cornell Medicine provides 250 student beds across a mix of unit types, student living room / gathering spaces, a fitness centre, gymnasium/event space, sky lounge with roof terrace and support spaces.

The overall building design balances an expression of institutional identity and refined monumentality on the exterior with a simple, warm and natural material condition on the interior supporting spaces for community, privacy and respite.

The project's primary organizational driver and most visible design expression is the vertical / horizontal 'carve' that connects communal spaces and public circulation throughout the building from below grade to roof terrace. These linked spaces are defined with an interior material continuity and a functional exterior transparency that defines the shared experience of the residents, expressing a visual and psychological connection between the student community within and the surrounding urban campus.

Design highlights

With a focus on providing wellness, respite from the demands of the medical student experience and a sense of community, the new building features a multi-purpose activity court for sports games as well as a yoga studio and gym.