NEW YORK CITY
In Manhattan, Belfer Research Building takes shape
Design rendering of Weill Cornell Medical College's under-construction Belfer Research Building, which is set to open in 2014. Illustration provided by Bernstein Associates.
Weill Cornell Medical College's Belfer Research Building is well on its way to a planned 2014 completion date. As of mid-April, all floors have been laid and work is continuing on the building's exterior (see design rendering, opposite page, and additional renderings and construction progress photos, below) as internal infrastructure work moves forward.
The 480,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility will more than double the medical college's research space. A November ceremony recognized the generosity of the building's many donors, including a $100 million gift from Renée and Robert Belfer, for whom the building is named.
Interior renderings provided by Bernstein Associates. >Click images to see larger versions.
The building will house bench-to-bedside research targeting some of the world's most daunting health challenges, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, children's health, such neurodegenerative diseases as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and global health and infectious diseases.
Designed by Ennead Architects, the Belfer Research Building has open floor plans throughout to facilitate communication and collaboration. Its proximity to the Weill Greenberg Center, the medical college's award-winning ambulatory care building, will also enhance communication between investigative researchers and practicing clinicians. When complete, an array of sophisticated lab equipment will be available to partnering medical and academic institutions in the community, helping to attract scientists, physicians, students and patients from around the world.
The facility will also be environmentally friendly, energy efficient and aesthetically pleasing, with a glass façade that will help to reduce energy consumption and will bathe interior areas with natural sunlight.
The $650 million building is the centerpiece of Weill Cornell's $1.3 billion Discoveries That Make a Difference campaign, which is the country's largest for a medical college and chaired by Robert Appel '53. More than $1.15 billion has been raised toward this goal in just over five years, including 127 gifts of $1 million or more, of which 38 specifically support the new Belfer Research Building.
Views of Weill Cornell Medical College's Belfer Research Building under-construction, set to open in 2014. Photos provided by Bernstein Associates.