GALLATIN RENOVATION PROJECT COMPLETE
School Receives First Gold LEED Rating at NYU
After recently undergoing a $27-million redesign and renovation, the Gallatin School truly has a home within the New York University landscape—a home that students, faculty, and staff are proudly calling their own. A massive undertaking, construction began in 2007 and took place in two phases, nearly doubling the School's size. Gallatin's new home, which now occupies the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th floors of 715 Broadway, was created with the award-winning Polshek Partnership Architects, LLP, and funded entirely by the support of alumni, parents, and friends.
For years, Gallatin needed a physical identity that would manifest its innovative nature and correspond with its academic mission. Today, the School boasts new student and faculty lounges, a dedicated lobby and entrance, arts and dance rehearsal studios, gallery spaces, and a theater, in addition to more classrooms and offices, all of which have been completely renovated. Aside from meeting student and faculty needs, Gallatin's space is also visually stunning: exposed brick archways define the open floor plans, floor-to-ceiling windows bring in natural light, and specially commissioned installations by artist Peter Halley stretch 465 linear feet through the School's five floors.
Every aspect of the new site reflects the School's commitment to sound environmental stewardship. In fact, the renovation project is the first at NYU to achieve LEED certification. LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™, and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. Gallatin received an esteemed "Gold" LEED rating for incorporating sustainable choices such as using Energy Star compliant equipment, Greenline furniture, and energy efficient lighting systems; reducing water use; recycling; and purchasing wind energy.
Peter Halley's Artwork
Visitors to the Gallatin School are struck by the colorful, dynamic art installations that adorn the walls on each floor. The murals were designed by Peter Halley, a NYC-based artist who was chosen through a competitive vetting process and who created the installations to complement Gallatin's independent spirit and energy. Halley, who has been creating art for more than 25 years and producing site-specific installations for exhibitions and as permanent public works since the 1990s, adopted the traditional form of the mural, applied directly to the wall, but updated it using digitally-printed imagery transferred onto a wallpaper-like support that stretches over Gallatin's five floors. In developing the installation, he worked with Gallatin students and faculty as well as Polshek Partnership Architects, LLP. Quotations that appear in the artwork were selected by Gallatin students and incorporate text from sources including Theodor Adorno, Aristotle, James Baldwin, Walt Whitman, and Virginia Woolf.
Halley's work has been exhibited in galleries in Chicago, London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris, Rome, Seoul, and Tokyo as well as in museums, including New York's Museum of Modern Art. He is currently the director of graduate painting and printmaking studies at the Yale University School of Art, and he has taught at Columbia University, UCLA, and the School of Visual Arts. For more information, visit www.peterhalley.com.
Associate Dean for Finance and Administration Linda Wheeler Reiss, who oversaw the redesign project and also sits on the Gallatin Greening Committee, stated, "I am thrilled that the Gallatin renovation project earned Gold certification status from the USGBC. This certification is a validation of the Gallatin community's commitment to environmental sustainability, and we're pleased that we are among those taking the lead in this regard at NYU. Our project team worked collaboratively to develop a renovation plan that advances sustainability while still keeping costs within our approved budget—this proves that greening endeavors need not be prohibitive financially." (To learn more about Gallatin going green and view interactive online floor plans, visit www.nyu.edu/gallatin/leed.)
Now encompassing an area of approximately 32,000 square feet, Gallatin's home accommodates different modes of learning and a variety of areas of study while placing a strong emphasis on community. Students and faculty utilize the Arts Suite, Student Activities Lounge, and Writing Center, a range of events takes place in the Jerry H. Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts, and art is always on display in the Gallatin Galleries. But perhaps even more exciting are the unanticipated ways in which the space is being used. The School's ground floor lobby, home to the Wendy and Jerry Labowitz Lounge, was intended to be a meeting place and an information hub, but it has also been home to many receptions, as it offers a wonderful area to host events, enhanced by the backdrop of Peter Halley's vibrant artwork. The galleries have become comfortable areas for students and faculty to meet and for groups to gather. Because the layout on several floors was designed on an angle, there are nooks perfect for students to do group work in or study quietly. The Jerry H. Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts, which was designed with retractable seating and a movable wall specifically to accommodate a range of events, has been used in every way possible including ways unforeseen; it has housed performances, lectures, conferences, film screenings, orientations, club fairs, receptions, and luncheons.
To celebrate the project's completion, Gallatin Dean Susanne Wofford welcomed alumni, parents, and community members to an open house on April 21, which included student-led building tours, a reception, and remarks by NYU President John Sexton. Community members who were not able to attend this celebration and are interested in seeing the new Gallatin firsthand may contact Patrick Wiseman, 212-992-7762 or patrick.wiseman@nyu.edu, to set up a tour.
The Gallatin Galleries
Located on the School's 1st, 4th, 5th, and 6th floors, the Gallatin Galleries display the work of students, faculty, and outside artists for the Gallatin community and external audiences. The ground-floor gallery, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, enhances the School's visible presence within the University and Greenwich Village communities and prominently showcases student work in such exhibits as the annual Gallatin Arts Festival. Curated by artist and part-time faculty member Keith Miller, the Gallatin Galleries' opening exhibition took place in March and featured the work of more than ten artists. Artwork on display throughout the building not only adds cultural value to the space but fosters dialogue and interaction. The gallery spaces have also become perfect areas for students and faculty to meet: study groups gather in such spaces, student performers use them to rehearse scenes, and they provide an engaging setting for club meetings and receptions.
