Columbia Business School Wins Urban Land Institute Award
Columbia University’s new Business School buildings – Henry R. Kravis Hall and David Geffen Hall – received the 2023 Urban Land Institute New York (ULI NY) Award for Excellence in Institutional Development at a gala reception on October 18 at Cipriani South Street. The statewide competition recognizes projects that demonstrate commitment to planning, design, sustainability, and community impact.
“The Columbia Business School buildings epitomize the vision of the Manhattanville campus. The openness and the integrated design of the buildings have created a dynamic environment where education, research, and community enrichment seamlessly converge. When you walk through the buildings, you feel inspired and are propelled to forge new connections. Its addition is transformative to the campus and will continue to influence University teaching and research for years to come,” said David M. Greenberg, executive vice president of Facilities and Operations.
Columbia Business School spans 492,000 square feet across two buildings, Henry R. Kravis Hall and David Geffen Hall. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with FXCollaborative, the buildings have a layer-cake design, integrating floors of faculty offices with student learning spaces in Henry R. Kravis Hall and floors for administrative offices and learning spaces in David Geffen Hall. Collaborative spaces are organized around intersecting networks of circulation, creating a space for constant interaction and innovation.
Engagement with the local community is fundamental to Columbia Business School’s design. The second floor of David Geffen Hall is home to the Columbia-Harlem Small Business Development Center, which supports local entrepreneurs and has invested over $6 million in the local economy, generating or saving more than 300 jobs. In Henry R. Kravis Hall, four micro-retail spaces will be available for local entrepreneurs to develop their business. A café on the ground level of David Geffen Hall is also open to the public.
In between the two buildings is a 40,000 square-foot public green space called The Square designed by James Corner Field Operations, which offers flexible and collaborative space for outdoor gatherings, lectures, meetings, and performances.
Similar to other new buildings constructed at the Manhattanville campus, Columbia Business School earned LEED® Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The project received the rating by utilizing a wide range of sustainable construction and design strategies, including leveraging site advantages, optimizing energy performance, improving indoor air quality, and more.
“It’s an honor to receive this award and be recognized among other prestigious projects that represent the best in urban planning in New York. I applaud the collective hard work of our project team, architects, professional consultants, construction managers, and construction workers who helped make this recognition possible,” said Hany Ayoub, deputy vice president of Columbia’s Manhattanville Development Group.
Columbia Business School is the second project at the Manhattanville campus to receive an accolade from ULI New York. The first phase of the Manhattanville campus won a 2019 Award for Excellence in Institutional Development. The Square was a finalist in ULI NY’s 2023 Awards for Excellence competition in the urban open space category.