ABSTRACT
The original brief specified a seven-level structure that descended into Junction Hollow, to house the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the new Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, the Disruptive Health Technologies Institute, the Engineering Research Accelerator and a nanotechnology facility. The new research and education facilities it will host are, Columbia asserts, essential for it to keep pace with peer institutions. The site allocated to the Institute terminates the northern edge of the campus, facing a suburban, three-storey terraced street and neighbouring several large King’s College London’s (KCL) buildings constructed from the 1960s to 2007. The University's use of eminent domain to acquire property, compounded by fears of gentrification, kindled heated opposition within the local community. Amidst this context, the completion of the campus's inaugural structure – the Jerome L. Greene Science Center – was eagerly awaited. The building's industrial character is offset by the bold accents of colour that pepper the interior, notably the shared spaces.
