NYU DC

NYU’s Constance Milstein and Family Academic Center provide a semester study experience in Washington, DC for NYU College of Arts and Science majors in Politics, International Relations, Economics and Art History. Designed to welcome approximately 125 visiting students and professors each semester, the mixed-use academic facility establishes the University’s presence in the nation’s capitol.

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Good Vibes

The illuminating 12-story building embodies its institutional status with a dramatic system of laminated glass fins to enhance the façade and elevate the University’s visibility. Held together with a SGP inter layer, the edge-lit fins are brought to life at night with LED lights diffused through a printed dot matrix which create a frosted effect in the day.

The Center provides space for student living quarters, student life space, a large lecture hall and event space, small classrooms and seminar rooms, faculty and administrative offices, and additional remote space for visitors from other NYU schools and programs. A balcony runs along the building façade outside the reading room to visual separate the dormitories from the academic areas below, while inviting the student activity to add to the street life outside.

Six floors of dormitories feature four-person suites, provided with shading and privacy through an external screening system. Unit plans prioritize comfort and equitable living spaces despite the challenges of a narrow, 60’-wide site.

To embrace NYU’s commitment to sustainability, a green roof and high-performance glass fins are incorporated as a means of providing shade for the interior space. An intentional absence of parking encourages the use of mass transit to help earn the project its LEED Gold status.

A Local Identity

Creative delivered a comprehensive signage package for the building comprised of building ID, wall and glass graphics, donor signage, and an electronic donor display for the lobby. The result embraces NYU’s strong, existing brand across multiple campuses while giving NYU DC its own identity. Just like NYU students immerse into DC culture, the environmental graphics brought the city into each space.

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