Special Lamp
Machines & Processing
Design
Smart Home
The John Jay College of Criminal Justice is the only higher education liberal arts institution in the United States with a focus on criminal justice and forensics. As such, it experienced a phenomenal rate of growth on the heels of September 11, 2001, when the terrorist attacks of that day spurred not only a great wave of interest in the field, but also turned law enforcement into a growth industry. To handle this influx of students, the college hired Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) to design a new facility that would integrate with its existing buildings—including the C.B.J. Snyder–designed 1903 Haaren Hall—and fill out the entire city block between 10th and 11th avenues and 58th and 59th streets in Manhattan. In addition to creating more programmatic spaces—classrooms, lecture halls, dining areas, and mock courtrooms—the school wanted a facility that would act as an urban campus, providing community and informal gathering spaces for its student body.
SOM responded with a glass-clad building composed of two distinct volumetric elements: a long, low podium that connects to the existing buildings along 10th Avenue, and a 14-story tower that anchors the college on 11th Avenue. Within these volumes, the architects inserted a central circulation spine that also acts as a commons. “We call it the cascade,” says Mustafa Abadan, SOM’s partner in charge of the project. “It’s about the width of a New York City street.” Just as Broadway steps to the west as it works its way north through Manhattan, this commons steps up in section as it works its way toward the tower, culminating in a light and airy atrium space. The architects also gave the podium an accessible green roof, known as the Jay Walk, which gave the college its first and only campus quad.
Working Days 8:30am-5:30pm(GTM+8)
Discover the latest trends of lighting industry