Cooper Union

The Cooper Union is one of the United States oldest higher education facilities, founded in 1859 by Peter Cooper. Now, 150 years later, the new building is designed to reflect Cooper’s fundamental belief that education of the highest quality should be as 'free as air and water' and should be available to all who qualify, independent of race, religion, gender or social status. Manifesting this spirit of integration and equality in physical form, the design creates an open space, within which each department can merge into the next and interaction is encouraged through design.

Conceived as a stacked vertical piazza, the exterior is impactive and coerces intrigue, with selective permeability drawing attention to activity within. The vertical campus is organized around a central atrium that rises to the full height of the building. This connective volume, spanned by sky bridges, opens up view corridors across Third Avenue to the Foundation Building.