New York City refers to its tech scene as “Silicon Alley,” but now it’s getting a giant new Cornell tech campus… on an island, between Manhattan and Queens. I’m going to leave the naming issue for the locals and share some images from the new campus — which is going to be quite impressive, judging by the few details available in an October article from architecture web site Arch Daily.
Beyond the larger goal of making the city more of a tech hub, the focus will be creating a “sustainable landmark” on the 2 mile by .15 mile landmass on the East River, the article explains. A quarter of the 2 million square foot campus will be green space available to the public, while the sun-oriented layout will include the largest solar panel array in the city. That’s not all on the environmental front. There’ll be four acres of geothermal wells, and a 150,000 square foot main academic building with a net-zero energy footprint.
In terms of transportation, the island is also going to be getting some upgrades, with the city already providing $100 million for improvements. Ferries, a tram line, a one-way bridge exit, and a single subway stop are the main ways to get on and off of it now. As The Atlantic explores today, maybe could even be a pedestrian and bicycle bridge to Manhattan?
With that, on to the renderings of the new campus by the prestigious architecture firm that Cornell has hired, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP.
And the dreamed-of bike bridge:
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