The crew behind Cornell Tech’s campus said work on the first phase of the Roosevelt Island construction is going well and will be ready for grad students in less than two years.
Andrew Winters, Cornell Tech’s senior director of capital projects, gave a tour of the12-acresite located just south of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Tuesday and said it will enhance the island. The 300 students who will arrive in the fall of 2017 won’t be the only people enjoying the space, he said.
“One of the key elements is to be open and inviting to the public,” he said.
The first phase of the campus includes five acres with school buildings including a main academic building, the Bloomberg Center, a 26-story residential space and “The Bridge,” a one-stop-shop where start up companies, students and other tech professionals can meet.
All three buildings will be built with environmentally friendly amenities such as geothermal heating systems and solar power, according to Winters.
The remaining seven acres of the south part of the campus will be dedicated to open green space for everyone who comes to the Island. Winters said Cornell is committed to being a good neighbor with the residents who live in the neighborhood.
“No walls, not gates, no barriers. It’s not a typical college site,” he said.
