Perkins Eastman

We profiled the firm's new TKTS booth in Times Square here at gbNYC earlier this week, but want to also point you to architects Perkins Eastman's design for the $30 million Simons Center for Geometry and Physics on the campus of SUNY Stony Brook on Long Island. The 6-story, 39,000-square-foot building will rise between two older math and physics department buildings and support 35 faculty offices, conference rooms, and a 250-seat lecture hall. URS will perform construction management services for the project and will also be responsible for the LEED certification process; the project is aiming for a Silver rating from USGBC. The Center is named for the James and Marilyn Simons Foundation, which made a $60 million gift to the school in 2007 that will also support the building's ongoing operations moving forward. Construction should break ground sometime this spring and a September 2010 completion date is being targeted. Specific green design features and other information about the project team do not appear presently available.

• Simons Center for Geometry and Physics (SUNY)

I did not attend West Coast Green last week, but was pleased to see that the conference included a panel discussion about the emerging legal risks associated with building green, titled “Packing a Parachute: Practices that Minimize Risk and Prompt Best Use of Green Features.” Some of the panelists’ remarks (which were published yesterday in an article on GreenerBuildings.com) resonated particularly salient in light of recent posts here at gbNYC, particularly with respect to how green projects are marketed, as well as our presentation of the country’s first green building litigation.