CHAPTER 4
SYNERGIES
CASE S T UDY 2 41 C OOPER S QUA RE Designed by Morphosis Architects, this academic building for the Cooper Union exemplifies the potential synergies between active and sustainable design strategies. The architects conceived the building as a vertical campus centered on a grand atrium and central stair. The organization of the primary skipstop elevators, which serve the first, fifth, and eighth floors, encourages occupants to use the grand stairs and sky bridges to access alternative floors. Additional elevators stop at each floor, both for ADA compliance and for the practical tasks of moving materials, artworks, and equipment. The circulation system is designed so that 50 percent of the building’s users will rely on the stairs as their sole means of vertical travel. The generously scaled stairs also provide space for social interactions and encounters. An innovative steel-and-glass double skin encloses the stair and atrium, giving the stairs a visual dynamism while also helping to control the internal climate. Both the vertical circulation system and the building envelope contribute to lowering the project’s energy usage while encouraging walking and physical activity. The building, completed in 2009, is on target to achieve a LEED Platinum rating.
Diagram of the skipstop elevator system
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ACTIVE DESIGN GUIDELINES