Approaching the new Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center from the jumble of hulking facilities in Upper Manhattan that make up the Columbia University Medical Center, the first thing that comes into view is the tower’s attention-grabbing south elevation. Its 14 stories of canted planes, transparent glass, and projecting boxes offer a striking counterpoint to both the sprawling medical complex—which includes Columbia’s teaching hospital, New York Presbyterian—and the surrounding low-scale but dense Washington Heights neighborhood.
Though initially it might seem like a gratuitous formal exercise, the surprising assemblage is the exterior expression of a dynamic stair that snakes up one side of the building. Dubbed the “study cascade” by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DSR), which designed the medical school academic building with executive architect Gensler, this element rises from a stepped plaza. As it ascends, it expands and contracts to create atrium-like spaces that Elizabeth Diller, DSR partner in charge of the project, refers to as “destinations” or “neighborhoods.” These include areas of tiered seating, glass-enclosed meeting rooms, open gathering spaces, and outdoor terraces where medical students can socialize, study, or relax while taking in the views of the city or the Hudson River with the steep cliffs of the New Jersey Palisades beyond. From the street, the zigzagging circulation route is especially visible once the sun sets and the illuminated interiors begin to glow.
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