‘milstein hall cornell university’ by OMA in ithaca, new york, USA all images courtesy cornell / AAP image © william staffield

‘milstein hall’, the first new building for the cornell university college of architecture, art, and planning (AAP), has celebrated its grand opening in ithaca, new york, USA. designed by internationally-recognized architecture practice OMA, the 14,000 m2 educational complex spatially connects the originally fragmented area between four existing buildings with an elevated horizontal plate outfitted with floor-to-ceiling glass.

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion exterior view during construction image © william staffield

inserted into the interstitial space between rand, sibley, the foundrys and tjaden hall, the new facility focuses on the stimulating the interaction of programs while allowing flexibility over time. the operation and activities of the buildings is made transparent on the ground level by an angled glass facade which overlooks the sunken in 282-seat auditorium. manipulations of the floor plate resulted in a hill-like bulge that caters to a number of programs: the computer labs and meeting areas are housed under the curved form while the seats of the auditorium follow the natural incline of the structure; a portion of the hill penetrates out into the exterior, providing a playful communal space complete with pod-like LED stools, while the peak that punctures the upper plate provides an access point to the rest of the building.

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion face during installation image © william staffield

the higher level of the new hall provides an open layout for studios and work space. wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glazing, the interior benefits from a generous amount of natural daylight. a grid of skylights on the green roof further facilitates sunlight into the studios.

stay tuned for photographs of the completed building soon.

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion under the elevated volume image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion views of stairwell images © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion studio level wrapping around existing hall  image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion floor-to-ceiling window image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion studio space image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion (left) up to street level (right) auditorium images © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion seating image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion peak of the bulge from studio level image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion lifted up floor plate with a view into the lower level image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion staircase in basement image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion exterior bulge image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion LED pods during installation image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion planting the green roof image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion roof lights image © william staffield

OMA: milstein hall nearing completionphysical model

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion view from the gorge

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion level -1

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion level 0

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion level +1

OMA: milstein hall nearing completionroof level

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion rendered fly-by view

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion street view

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion exterior view from street level

OMA: milstein hall nearing completionexterior meeting space

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion view into auditorium

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion interior view of staircase up to studio level

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion section

OMA: milstein hall nearing completion section

project info:

partners in charge: rem koolhaas, shohei shigematsu associate in charge: ziad shehab team: jason long, michael smith, troy schaum, charles bermean, amparo casani, noah shepherd, alasdair graham, torsten schroeder, joshua beck, erica goetz, margaret arbanas, matthew seidel, tsuyoshi nakamoto, ritchie tao, konrad krupinski, kengo skorick, martin schliefer, marcin ganczarski, tanner merkeley, konstantin august, klaas kresse, mathieu de paepe, suzanna waldron, daphna glaubert, beatriz minquez de molina, jesse seegers, james davies, esa rustkeepaa, daniel gerber, paul georgeadis, julianna gola, betty ng, michael jefferson

collaborators: executive architect: KHA architects, LLC structural engineer: robert silman associates MEP engineer: plus group consulting engineering engineering servies: gryphon international facade design and engineering consultant: front, inc. acoustical consultant: DHV VB elevator consultant: persohn/hahn associates IT/data/security consultant: archi-technology lighting consultant: tillotson design associates, inc. audio/visual consultant: acentech roofing consultant: BPD roof consulting, inc. sustainability consultant: BVM engineering models: OMA / model en objekt / made by mistake