Oh man-- we thought nothing would top the Lerner Student Center for ugliest new building in Morningside Heights, but it looks like the administrators at Barnard are gunning for the title with their Nexus building, scheduled for completion in 2009. The Spectator reports:
The $50 million building, which has graduated from schematic development to design development, will create space for classes, academic departments, dining, theater and dance rehearsals and performances, and gallery showings, among other events, thus alleviating some of the strain on current resources while creating new opportunities...
Space in the 80,000 square foot building will be divided relatively evenly between public venues, areas for student organizations and academic departments, and instructional and research facilities.
Included in the building are two theaters: a large event hall and a 100-seat black box on the building’s bottom floor, complete with catwalk, green rooms, a workshop, and storage. There are also 12 new classrooms, at least one of which will seat more than 74 people.
One bright spot in this otherwise uninspired and starkly modern design: the building will have a green-roof, which should make it a little more environmentally friendly. Oh well-- even the ugliest building has still got to be better than the current Macintosh Hall-- a squat, 1960s style pile of concrete that has long been hated by Barnard students.
