Lehman Breaks Ground on New Science Building
Lehman Breaks Ground on First New Building In CUNY’s ‘Decade of the Sciences’ — Project Will Be CUNY’s First ‘Green’ Science Building
Lehman College, the City University of New York (CUNY), the architectural firm of Perkins+Will, and a host of elected officials and other dignitaries celebrated the groundbreaking of a new Science Building at Lehman on September 24.
The project represents two significant milestones: it is the first new laboratory building in what has been hailed as “CUNY’s Decade of the Sciences” and the first CUNY project to be designed and submitted for LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The project incorporates a number of environmentally sustainable strategies and is expected to receive a LEED® Gold Rating.
“This historic groundbreaking represents a major step toward our goal of investing more than $1 billion by 2015 in new, modernized science facilities,” said Dr. Matthew Goldstein, CUNY Chancellor. “The integrated research network that will result will play a leading role in advancing the frontier of knowledge and expanding our region’s science-related industries and opportunities.”
“This new facility will allow Lehman’s science programs, especially on the graduate level, to attract a new generation of students and scholars,” said Dr. Ricardo R. Fernández, Lehman College President. “The subsequent research that is conducted will open the door to discoveries, in areas such as improved food production and the development of new pharmaceuticals, that we can only imagine right now.”
This new Science Building is the first step in a Perkins+Will designed, three-phase effort that will create a “campus within a campus” at Lehman dedicated to the sciences. The 69,000 sq. ft. building will feature state-of-the-art laboratories for research and learning, along with a conference center and office space that will showcase groundbreaking developments. The building has been designed to promote collaboration between scientific disciplines, build on Lehman’s pioneering plant-science research projects and create a science pipeline for students from high school through post-doctoral research.
“At Perkins+Will, we have a passion for helping our clients achieve their vision,” notes Michael A. Kihn, AIA, LEED AP, Project Principal, Perkins+Will. “Working with Lehman College and CUNY to create a sustainable environment that will position the College as a leading center of scientific discovery was a tremendous honor.”
Building on Lehman’s tradition in the liberal arts and its history of excellence in the sciences, the new facility will promote collaboration between students and faculty, while serving as a “gateway to the sciences” by attracting students who might not otherwise consider pursuing a career in these fields. The architectural, landscape and sustainable aspects of the project all support this goal.
Designed to showcase the College’s strength in plant science teaching and research, the new facility will be an instructional building or “teaching tool.” The central courtyard will enclose a wetland of native grasses, hosting naturally occurring microbes capable of cleaning stormwater that can be recycled within the building for maintenance. Faculty and students will use this living system in their research – collecting samples to understand how contaminants in the water impact the ecosystem and how natural processes can remove these contaminants from our environment. In addition, displays will provide real-time information on building operations, such as the quantity of energy saved by the solar hot water panels or the amount of water cleansed and recirculated over the building’s lifespan.
Hear excerpts from some of the speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony:
President Fernández
President Fernández
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Borough President Carrión
Borough President Carrión
Chancellor Goldstein
Chancellor Goldstein
View the brochures in English and Spanish versions: