Jerome L. Greene Science Center for Mind Brain Behaviour

AIANY Design Awards: Merit, AIA New York, 2018

Best Higher Education/Research Project, ENR New York, 2017

Best of Design Awards: Facade, The Architect's Newspaper, 2015

Engineering Excellence Award, ACEC New York, 2015

Designed with science, for science, the building’s envelope subtly and innovatively addresses the building’s relationship to its surrounding environmental context in a sustainable way.

The Jerome L. Greene Science Center has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) under the New Construction rating system.

This was possible thanks to a broad spectrum of strategies, from leveraging site advantages to innovative designs to reducing energy demand, using sustainable construction techniques, selecting sustainable materials and more.

The building is part of the Columbia University's new Manhattanville campus which environmentally sustainable design and overall project plan were awarded LEED Platinum certification under the USGBC’s Neighborhood Development rating system - the highest designation in the rating system. This was the first such recognition in New York City and the first given to a campus plan anywhere in the United States.

Among the sustainable construction and design features of the buildings include:

- The actively ventilated double-skin façade of low-iron glass and the motorised shades mitigate the acoustic concerns from the adjacent subway, and further contribute to occupant comfort by creating a thermal buffer at the exterior of the building.

- Daylight harvesting allows a reduction in the use of artificial lights. intuitive lighting controls and solar sensors interconnected with the building management system automatically brings down blinds in front of the full-height glazed facades, and turns up the indirect artificial lighting inside. This strategy maximises heating or cooling efficiency, while regulating internal brightness to maximise natural light flow in the workspace and conserve energy.

- Radiant heating is emitted through the concrete floor slab at the perimeter of each floor.

- In order to reduce the energy load for heating at the Greene Science Center, heat recovery system are fitted on air-handling units to recuperate heat from the exhausted air and to reuse it to the supplied air.

- Chilled beams are suspended from the ceilings at the perimeter of the floors and within the major open laboratory spaces. This reduces energy demand for air conditioning.
- High-reflective “cool roof” materials protect against the urban heat island effect and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, light-coloured paving materials was also specified to further minimise the heat island effect.

- Healthy indoor finishes with low and zero VOC (volatile organic compound) content are selected for the interior spaces.

- Building products were procured from local and regional manufacturers within 500 miles of the project site to reduce embodied carbon emissions and minimised the University’s carbon footprint when constructing the buildings.

- Alternative forms of transportation through proximity to mass transportation are encouraged to reduce the carbon footprint of occupants travelling to and from the buildings; shuttle bus service between campuses and transportation hubs, bicycle racks and bicycle share programs, and carpool programs.