Cornell's $2 Billion Campus in New York Will 'Bridge' Academia and Corporations

The eagerly anticipated addition of a $2 billion campus for Cornell on Roosevelt Island will include a gesture toward the new model of innovation economy that directly connects universities with their cities.

1 minute read

June 17, 2015, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Jessica Leber reports on a critical component of Cornell's new $2 billion campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City—a "corporate co-location" building that will make a literal connection between academia and corporate interests. The Bridge, as the building is called, is one of three buildings scheduled to open in 2017 as part of the project's first phase.

Leber got the scoop on the name of the building prior to a groundbreaking ceremony held on June 16, and a promo video is also available online that teases the concept.

Leber explains a little more about what makes the building unique in the crowded New York City commercial real estate market:

"The Bridge is unusual for New York office space in that it doesn't have pre-leased anchor tenants other than Cornell Tech. The companies in the building will be carefully curated by Forest City Ratner, in discussions with the university. The goal is to bring in an eclectic mix of startups (ideally involving the school's graduates) and larger companies working on applications that match Cornell’s program areas: connective media, the built environment, and health tech."

The article also includes renderings of the new building and some description of design details by Leber.

Monday, June 15, 2015 in Fast Co.Exist

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