New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) recently completed its new Graduate Center at 401 Park Avenue at 28th Street, NYC. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Center on Tuesday, October 18 with NYSID alumni, graduate students, and supporters, as well as local government representatives in attendance. The creation of the new Graduate Center marks an important moment in NYSID's nearly 100-year history. It's the first time the School has opened a satellite space and its first entree to Lower Manhattan.
The Center was created in direct response to the launch of a number of new graduate programs and the corresponding increase in NYSID's graduate student body, which has grown from less than 20 students in 2008 to 143 at the start of the 2011-12 academic year. In just three short years, NYSID has launched a three-year Professional-Level MFA in Interior Design, a one-year MPS in Sustainable Interior Environments, and a one-year MPS in Interior Lighting Design. Additionally, the School has recently been approved to offer a one-year master's degree program in HealthcareInterior Design, which will launch in fall 2012.
"The School's new graduate center signifies the evolution of our institution from a single-major school to a design college whose mission is committed to rethinking, in its vast totality, the design of the interior environment," said NYSID President Christopher Cyphers. "The graduate center is home to a diverse slate of graduate programs that, together, provide a comprehensive design education and will influence the future of design practice."
The Center occupies 40,000 square feet on two contiguous floors and was designed by architecture and design firm Gensler. Phase I of the Graduate Center-a 20,000-square-foot space on the third floor-opened in September 2010. The design of the two floors are similar-both sleek, light-filled spaces that have open layouts with seminar rooms, lecture halls, exhibition space, computer design labs and other workspaces all flowing into each other. The design was intended to create an environment that removes barriers to creativity and encourages a level of interaction between students and faculty.
As part of NYSID's commitment to sustainability, the Graduate Center is LEED-CI Platinum certified by the US Green Buildings Council. In addition to maximizing the use of daylight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows-a key component in the pursuit of this certification-the design incorporates materials and finishes made from recycled materials. It also includes low-flow plumbing fixtures, LED lighting, daylight-harvesting technology, low-VOC paints, as well as an energy efficient, water-cooled HVAC system and sub-metering of electrical usage to help monitor and modulate energy consumption.
Photographs by Mark LaRosa, courtesy Gensler.