This 70,000 SF LEED Gold building occupies a prominent location at a bend in Manhattan College Parkway near the main campus entrance. The design acknowledges that by featuring a dramatic glass stair enclosure that will be seen by vehicles and pedestrians traveling down the Parkway. The first floor contains food service venues and related seating with views of the pedestrian path along the east side of the building, perfectly situated for people-watching. Open stairs connect this level up to a large lounge on the second level with sweeping views out over the athletic field. The second level also features the college store, a suite of offices, and the spectacular main building entry at the north end. The third floor contains a fitness center with locker rooms along with a suite of offices and meeting rooms. The fourth floor contains a commercial kitchen adjacent to the faculty dining room. The faculty dining room is adjacent to two meeting rooms with movable partitions to create a flexible space. The fourth floor also contains a suite of student activity offices. The fifth floor is taken up mostly by a large assembly space with a capacity of 720 that can be subdivided into three smaller spaces by Skyfold partitions.
Because the best views are to the east, the east walls consist mostly of glass (measures have been taken to minimize heat gain and glare). The south and west facades of the building are more traditional masonry with punched openings to relate both to adjacent residential buildings and the Georgian architecture of the campus. The design encourages circulation through the lower levels of the building. The building is located on a prime pedestrian route connecting the main campus to the north with the College’s engineering facilities, athletic field, and a subway stop to the south. There are inviting entrances at the south end of the lowest level of the building and the north end at the next level up, both of which are grade level conditions due to the sloping site. It is anticipated that many students and faculty will choose to move on this path through the building. Manhattan College also welcomes the possibility that residents of the neighborhood will also use the circulation route described and take advantage of the store and food opportunities on their way to the subway. Also, most exterior foot traffic and noisy activity will occur along the east face of the building, screened from the residential neighborhood by the bulk of the new building.
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