Boddewyn Gaynor Architects designs upgrade of 20,000 s/f teaching complex; for Weill Education Center at Weill Cornell Medical College

Continuing its long-standing relationship with Weill Cornell Medical College, Boddewyn Gaynor Architects, D.P.C. has designed an upgrade to the Weill Education Center, a teaching complex that encompasses 20,000 s/f within the college. The complex, at 1300 York Ave., integrates the classroom, study, laboratory, computer resources, and extracurricular activities of Weill Cornell medical students. In order to modernize 20 classrooms, including two wet and 18 dry labs, Boddewyn Gaynor incorporated innovative lighting based on LED light sources that meet the college's energy conservation goals; suspended ceilings; vibration isolators on new HVAC equipment; reconfigurable furniture with casters that enable flexible room layouts; mobile and fixed screens and white boards; blackout shades for the windows; and raised floors, allowing for multiple electrical outlets and data jacks. Restrooms, halls, and lockers were also updated. "For this project, the Capital Planning Department sought ideas and consensus from a wide range of professionals at the college, which required a significant investment of time and planning," said Alan Gaynor, AIA, founder and principal at Boddewyn Gaynor. "This collaboration enabled us to create a successful and aesthetically-pleasing space that works effectively for the professors and medical students, doctors, and administrators." "This project reflects a new trend in classroom design," said Michele Boddewyn, AIA, president of the firm. "Technology plays a huge role in the education of today's students, and classrooms must be designed to support such innovations. Also, gone are the days of cookie-cutter educational facilities, as spaces must be able to accommodate a variety of uses. Thus, it's important to incorporate design features that allow for spaces to be transformed without much time or effort." Boddewyn Gaynor Architects, D.P.C. offers full-service architecture, interior design and planning services to a wide range of corporate, not-for-profit, retail and institutional clients. The firm's work ranges from providing highly individual designs for image-conscious clients to creating innovative solutions to repurpose older structures for new uses. Boddewyn Gaynor Architects has considerable experience with improvements to landmark buildings and with obtaining approvals from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. In 2010, the firm was designated a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council.