The Couch Academic Center in Glen Cove, N.Y., a tuition-free naval architecture college housed in a 1912 Gold Coast mansion on a historic campus, needed to expand. The design task was to add 30,000 square feet of teaching space without harming the view of the mansion or the landscaped site sloping down to Long Island Sound. The architect’s concept created a “non-building” hidden under a grassy terrace behind the mansion, facing the Sound, offering the students broad views of the water and passing vessels. The new construction, topped by a planted roof, preserves the landscape and view corridors of the campus while providing the students a lesson on environmental responsibility. The building consists of design-lecture classrooms and a gathering space for the student body. Four double-size classrooms embrace an exterior courtyard, which serves as an additional teaching space.
Read more about the Couch Academic Center and view a photo gallery at SchoolDesigns.com.
