Areas
Derived from a study of the Venice Hospital, Columbia University’s main campus, and current social feedback concerning tech headquarters; our design strives to create a campus of a truly public typology. In most cases, tech campuses become isolated icons. To change that, we have created a porous and interconnected boundary. The boundary of office and tech programs float above a public plaza. The plaza is a true extension of the city grid, allowing streets and urban scale to penetrate through. As one experiences the space, accessible tech exhibitions, restaurants and gathering spaces provoke a dialogue with the edge condition and water ponds. The design allows the water to infiltrate the ground campus. As the water becomes filtrated and recycled, human interaction with the phenomena is encouraged. As a part of the gift to the city, a large wetland park was designed to connect to the green infrastructure on each edge, and strengthen the connection between the city. As the main tech campus becomes the first boundary, the second boundary is established by the creation of an educational backbone. The backbone hosts public education and serves as a yet another connector between the tech world and the public. The two boundaries protect the site from high-rise growth and maintain their focus on the experience of the public.