Planned university center will emphasize social interaction

FromThe New York Times: The design for the New School’s 365,000-square-foot University Center in New York City has been approved by the school’s trustees. Designed by the New York office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the building, with a boxy brass base capped by a residence hall, is not shy. What enlivens the design is its emphasis on the spectacle of social interaction. The interior is packed with communal spaces meant to encourage casual interactions. The exposed staircases are intended to put the flow of movement through the building on display to the world. They embody the idea that getting an education should not be about barricading yourself inside a monastery but participating fully in public life. FEBRUARY 2010....from The Villager: The New School in New York Cityhas unveiled scaled-down plans for a University Center. As opposed to an earlier design from 2007, which called for a 350-foot-tall building, this one will rise only half as high, at 178 feet. It’s planned to be 16 floors above grade, with two floors below street level. Floors one through seven will be for academic uses, with a total of 200,000 square feet. Floors eight through 16 will house a 600-bed student residence, with 143,000 square feet. The architect is SOM.