On October 30, KPF Principal Hana Kassem, FAIA, will lead a tour of the building, New York City’s first purpose-built, all-electric academic research lab, which is slated to open this fall.
Guests will be able to see first-hand how the building was designed to foster connections and collaboration between researchers and meet rigorous standards for environmental performance. The tour will feature public areas at the building’s ground level as well as lab spaces, symposium spaces, and the advanced mechanical systems that enable all-electric performance. It will also cover the project’s connection to neighboring buildings, which together form a unified academic and research facility for Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
This year’s Archtober theme, “In Our Hands,” is a reminder of architects’ agency in shaping a more just and joyful living environment, and the Vagelos tour puts that responsibility on full display through the building’s approach to sustainable, high-performance design.
