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Rendering of the new Cooper Union The new 194,000 square foot lab/academic/science building will
maximize its utility as both a space for study and a learning laboratory.
The building will consist primarily of classrooms, laboratories,
shops, studios and offices. Consolidating the academic space currently
located at 51 Astor Place and Hewitt sites into one building, it
will house all the functions for the Albert Nerkin School of Engineering,
some facilities for the School of Art, the Irwin S. Chanin School
of Architecture, and the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty.
Currently, the curriculum for the School of Engineering is changing
from a departmental base to a more flexible interdisciplinary structure
and it is anticipated that the study of engineering itself will
continue to evolve as technological innovation and scientific discovery
reshape current knowledge and future potential. As a result, it
has been determined that the building must have a great deal of
internal flexibility to accommodate these changes. To the greatest
extent practical, the mechanical, structural, telecommunications,
and environmental technologies must be accessible for study by
the building users.
The Cooper Union is committed to academic excellence and the development
of a state-of-the-art facility is essential. The design of the
building must respect the budget both in the vision for the building
and in the details that have long term life-cycle cost implications.
This critical project is the linchpin in Cooper Union’s overall
strategic plan to position its academic programs for the future,
to renew its urban campus, to revitalize the community centered
on Cooper Square and to establish a sustainable financial infrastructure
for the institution.
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