^{Image courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfro}

Vagelos Education Center by Diller Scofidio + Renfro

The Vagelos Education Center is a medical and graduate education building at New York’s Columbia University Medical Center. The structure, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler as executive architect, forms a 100,000-square-foot, 14-storey glass tower that incorporates a range of classrooms and collaboration spaces, as well as a modern simulation center to reflect how medicine is taught and practiced in the 21st century.

^{Image courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfro}

An important part of DS+R’s design is the Study Cascade, a network of spaces distributed across oversized landings along an open 14-storey stair – a single, interconnected vertical space that extends from the lobby to the top of the building. These areas open onto south-facing outdoor spaces and terraces. Other aspects of the building include Academic Neighborhoods so groups of classrooms that can be easily be reconfigured, and a 275-seat multi-purpose auditorium.

^{Image courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfro}

The building also integrates a range of sustainable features, including locally sourced materials, green roof technologies, and a mechanical system that minimizes energy and water use. Even the façade features ceramic frit patterns, baked onto the exterior glazing to diffuse sunlight. The Vagelos Education Center works toward the goal of minimizing CUMC’s carbon footprint and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2025.

more. dsrny.com