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Patience Has Its Rewards: A New Building for the College of Architecture, Art and Planning

Martha Walker

On Thursday, June 15, Cornell’s Buildings and Properties Committee of the Board of Trustees gave approval to the College of Architecture, Art and Planning to move on to the next phase of the design process—“schematics”—for the college’s new Milstein Hall. Readers of the Cornell Chronicle may remember a January 2006 article on the proposed Milstein Hall. The article addressed the college’s ambitious educational plans under the leadership of the new dean, Mohsen Mostafavi. It is the dean’s stated intent that Milstein Hall will help “…unify the college’s campus and allow for more interdepartmental collaborations and future growth.” The article also included information about the project’s architect (and Pritzker Prize winner), Rem Koolhaas, of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), and his inarguably stellar career.

The Milstein plans are not yet public, but I can share some facts about the proposed building with readers of Inside CUL.  In a nutshell (or a 42,000-sq.-ft. glass and mostly rectangular shell, if you prefer), the current proposal includes open studio space (for art, architecture, and planning students), a 300-seat auditorium, and perhaps, in a subsequent phase of development, a library.

The schematic design phase of the project officially began on June 15. This phase will last four to five months before moving into the design development phase, which will also last approximately five months. The construction and bid documents stage will be next, to be completed sometime in October 2007. The contract will be awarded and construction will start in December 2007. That month will also see the beginning of renovations to Rand Hall. (That’s correct—Rand Hall will not be torn down to make room for Milstein.) The Rand Hall renovation will be completed by September 2008. Milstein construction is expected to be finished by May 2009 and site work completed the following month.

Thus, there’s a very real possibility that the Fine Arts Library (FAL) will be in the process of moving—or will have progressed much closer to moving—three years from now.

As much as the FAL staff appreciate our ability to operate our 70+ windows, as well as our magnificent dome, we recognize that there are gains to be made in the provision of services and increased comfort levels for our patrons with a move into the new Milstein. It is also healthy for our collective self-image to be working with this particular architect and office, given its portfolio of prominent projects and its international stature. It is likely that the FAL, in addition to occupying space behind Sibley, will also be occupying space in future texts on architectural history. For those of you who want to learn more about OMA and Rem Koolhaas, please browse some of the links I have included below.

As a member of the Milstein Hall Building Committee, I have attended several meetings about the new structure over the past few months. Architecture is truly a team effort with a cast of hundreds. This task and the work of the next three years will be both exhilarating and challenging. As would anyone who has attempted even a relatively simple home renovation project, I recognize that the process may also present a few frustrating moments. Nonetheless, it is an exciting time to be the fine arts librarian. I suspect that the college will have a Web site devoted to the project, and I will be happy to share news of design and construction milestones as progress is made.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions, concerns, thoughts, or inspirations about the future home of the Fine Arts Library.

Additional Reading

Great Buildings Online
OMA’s Web site
Pritzker Prize summary (for 2000)

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