41 Cooper Square
NEW YORK— Outfitted with a stainless-steel paneled skin, 41 Cooper Square is the first academic building in New York to be awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum status.
The building opened in September 2009; the LEED certification was announced one year later. Platinum is the highest and strictest level of certification from the Green Building Council.
The building skin reduces heat radiation by reflection during the summer. It insulates, acting like a coat, during winter. Up to three-quarters of the building’s occupied spaces are lit through the double-layered skin.
An atrium illuminates the interior with full sunlight. A grand staircase ascends from the first floor to a fourth-floor lounge. Above the lounge are seminar rooms, seating areas, and other public spaces, connected by futuristic sky bridges.
Topping off the 11-story building is a roof that insulates while reusing rainwater and reducing runoff. Two floors are below grade. Low-flow plumbing devices and the green roof save more than 600,000 gallons of water annually in the $150 million, full-block building.
Energy efficiency is improved by 40 percent through cutting-edge radiant heating and cooling panels. A cogeneration plant that provides supplemental power to the building recovers waste heat while easing reliance on the outside energy grid.
The Cooper Union is an arts, science, and architecture school established in 1859 that has given every admitted student a full scholarship for 150 years, according to its website. It is located in the East Village near New York University.
This contemporary green building is featured as part of Archtober, New York’s Architecture and Design Month. What began in 2003 as Architecture Week has since grown into a full month of architecture and design events. Archtober was founded by the American Institute of Architects New York chapter, its own building boasts two geothermal wells, among other green aspects.
