Fanboyish eruptions of enthusiasm and admiration are presumably not what you, The Reader, turn to gbNYC to read. (Neither are rhyming headlines, but... yeah, see what I did there?) No, you're here for the buried links to "classic" rock performances and self-referential leads and, theoretically, news on green building in Gotham. Which I do try to keep in mind, but... have you seen the new Cooper Union laboratory building at 41 Cooper Square? The building, which was designed by Morphosis and Gruzen Samton, is super-innovative inside and out, very interesting to look at, peerlessly sustainable and generally as graceful a marriage of form and function as anything of its size downtown. It may not be your cup of aesthetic tea (mmm, aesthetic tea), but 41 Cooper Square is, for green building heads, definitely worth an ogle.
We're still at the point in New York's green real estate history when we're crowning firsts, which means that 41 Cooper Square is likely to be named New York City's First LEED Platinum Academic Laboratory. Which is nice, but also kind of meaningless, and furthermore not nearly as interesting as the 41 Cooper Square itself. I'm without the architectural vocabulary to describe 41 Cooper Square with any real grace -- although the Arcspace feature linked above, and this earlier one on 41 Cooper Square's design, do that quite well -- but even to the lay-dude, the seamlessness with which 41 Cooper Square's striking sustainable elements make common cause with its innovative design is pretty impressive. And luckily, Stephen already penned a very smart-sounding preview of the building when it topped out back in June of 2008. "The building's exterior is clad in semi-transparent stainless-steel panels which can be opened by the facility manager," SDP wrote. "The panels will serve both as an aesthetic design feature, as well as a screen from the sun during summer months and insulation during colder weather." Right, exactly.
Morphosis, and 2005 Pritzker Prize winner Thom Mayne, designed the building to LEED Gold specs, although Platinum looks likely given the extent to which Morphosis over-delivered on what was a very ambitious plan to begin with. Inside that striking semi-transparent steel exterior -- the defining street-level aesthetic aspect, alongside the building's uniquely contoured curvature -- is a super-comprehensive suite of green-design elements. A co-generation system and radiant heat and cooling will generate and conserve power (respectively), while carbon dioxide sensors in each room automatically modulate lights and ventilation in unoccupied rooms. A green roof and low-flow fixtures are projected to save 600,000 gallons of water annually; fume hoods circulate air 12 times daily, disposing of that funky laboratory air at a safe distance from the street below. Which is cool, all of it, and eminently worth reading about.
The aesthetics, though, are what I keep coming back to. While the building's architectural distinction might not be surprising, given Cooper Union's status as one of the nation's foremost architecture and design schools, the interior and exterior looks of this "vertical campus" are so futuristic, so consistently surprising, that I can't help but think it would impress even someone who looks at a lot more buildings than I do. There's always the comments section if I'm wrong, but check out the pictures on that Arcspace feature, two of which are attached to this post. I had to keep reminding myself they were photos, rather than renderings. I'm lucky enough to be in that neighborhoods most Thursdays (come by Scratcher between 5pm and 7pm, I love signing autographs), but those who aren't usually around there might want to build in a trip. It's just as stunning in person.
UPDATE: More great photos of the interior and exterior are here, via Inhabitat.
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