Construction on Cooper Union's new academic building is underway. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, the building will be comprised of state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms and studios along with conference rooms, lounges, a gallery and auditorium. This is a great moment in Cooper Union's history and will ensure that the college, its faculty and students have 21st century facilities that are appropriate to one of the nation's top-ranked institutions of higher education.

» Topping out ceremony photos

Construction Update January 2008
The following is a summary of activities that are expected onsite through the beginning of May 2008. The foundation of the new academic building is now complete. The final tasks required for the foundations phase are the installation of waterproofing and stone backfill which will be finished this month. The project has now successfully transitioned into the superstructure concrete phase.

The new academic building will be constructed primarily from reinforced concrete and a small amount of structural steel. This method of construction requires reinforcing steel bars ("rebar") to be set in concrete onsite. This process is very labor-intensive, as wooden formwork is created by hand onsite to receive the concrete. A combination of scaffolding and plywood allows the forms necessary for both columns and walls to be created. Once the concrete has cured, the formwork is removed and temporary shoring systems are installed. The shoring will remain in place until the concrete has reached a sufficient level of the design strength. This work started in the end of December 2007 and will continue through the beginning of May 2008.

The superstructure concrete phase will take roughly five months. All columns and floors, starting with columns in the subcellar through to the ninth floor, will be completed during this time. The progress during this phase will be rapid and visible. By the beginning of February, columns and formwork will be visible above the street level.

Following is the complete schedule for the preparation of the new academic building:

Project Start
Week of October 16, 2006

• No Parking Signs installed
• Work on construction fence and field office trailer begins

Demolition
Mid-November 2006

• Interior: completed December 2006
• Exterior: completed April 2007

Excavation and Foundations
May 2007

• Groundbreaking: May 9, 2007
• Excavation will take three to four months
• Foundation: completed December 2007

Superstructure and Building Envelope
December 2007

• Superstructure: December 2007 to May 2008
• Façade: April 2008 to August/September 2008

Interior Fit Out
February 2008 to mid-January 2009

Sidewalks and Exterior Work
Mid-September 2008 to November 2008

Project Finish
February 2009

This schedule is subject to change. Please check back often for updates.

Cooper Union has made a commitment to the Community Board and our elected representatives to keep them abreast of all developments during construction that might be perceived as impacting the neighboring community. In addition, we encourage you to contact Diane Brereton at 212-353-4169 or breret@cooper.edu if you have any questions or are in need of any additional information.