Milstein Hall Building Analysis

POETRY FOUNDATION

MILSTEIN HALL

B U I L D I N G A N A LY S I S B Y W O O D C H E N G + S E R G I O G U R R U S Q U I E T A

Building analysis by Jane Doe and Joe Moe

MILSTEIN HALL cornell university / ithaca / new york o f f i c e f o r m e t r o p o l i ta n a r c h i t e c t u r e

B u i l d i n g a n a ly s i s b y w o o d c h e n g + s e r g i o g u r r u s q u i e t a Arch 341, Fall 2017 Lab instructor: thomas shorey

C o v e r i m a g e : m at t h e w c a r b o n e

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1 / Project Summary 2 / Site, Form, and Energy 3 / Form and Structure 4 / E n v e l o p e a n d M at e r i a l s 5 / Fire and Life Safety 6 / Sys t e m s I n t e g r at i o n 7 / P r o j e c t D o c u m e n tat i o n 8 / References

1 / PROJECT SUMMARY P R O J E C T D A TA B u i l d i n g t y p e : e d u c at i o n T o ta l a r e a : 1 4 , 0 0 0 s q f t Year of completed construction: 2011 T o ta l c o n s t r u c t i o n c o s t: $ 5 5 m i l l i o n C e r t i f i c at i o n s : L E E D g o l d

TEAM C l i e n t : C o r n e l l U n i v e r s i t y, C o l l e g e o f A r c h i t e c t u r e , A r t a n d P l a n n i n g ( A A P ) A r c h i t e c t: o m a L a n d s c a p e : S C A P E L a n d s c a p e A r c h i t e c t u r e D . P. C .

S t r u c t u r e : R o b e r t S i l m a n A s s o c i a t e s , P. C .

M E P a n d F P : P l u s G r o u p C o n s u lt i n g E n g i n e e r s P L L C C i v i l e n g i n e e r – s i t e u t i l i t i e s : G I E N i a g a r a E n g i n e e r i n g I n c . P. C .

C i v i l E n g i n e e r – S i t e a n d G r a d i n g : T. G . M i l l e r P. C S u s ta i n a b i l i t y C o n s u lta n t: B V M E n g i n e e r i n g M o d e l s : O M A , M a d e b y M i s ta k e , S i t u S t u d i o L i g h t i n g C o n s u lta n t: T i l l o t s o n D e s i g n A s s o c i at e s , I n c . f a c a d e c o n s u lta n t: F r o n t I n c R o o f i n g C o n s u l t a n t : B P D R o o f C o n s u lt i n g , I n c .

A c o u s t i c a l c o n s u l t a n t : D H V V. B .

General Contractor: Welliver Mcguire, Inc.

1.1 Approach to entry courtyard Photo: Steve Hall/Hedrich Blessing

p h o t o : m at t h e w c a r b o n e

ARCHITECT PROFILE “OMA is an international practice operating within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism. AMO, a research and design studio, applies architectural thinking to domains beyond.”

Through its design prowess, OMA’s architectural design firm (founded 1975 by Rem Koolhaas, a Cornell University AAP graduate) has created some of the most influential buildings to date, one of them being the Seattle Public Library. OMA stands for Office for Metropolitan Architecture and is led by nine partners - Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon, Reinier de Graaf, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, David Gianotten, Chris van Duijn, Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, Jason Long - and maintains offices in Rotterdam, New York, Beijing, Hong Kong, Doha, Dubai and Perth.

One of the talents that OMA is known for is projecting their design drivers through diagrammatic representation. This not only extends to their design but also the many ways that the project is supposed to be interacted with. The main example that everyone gravitates towards is the Seattle Public Library. Through this building’s diagrams any person can completely understand how they created their design for their building. Every move has a purpose. This diagrammatic skill extends into the circulation, building use, program, etc.

the interlace photo: iwan baan

cctv headquarters photo: oma

s e at t l e p u b l i c l i b r a ry p h o t o : P h i l i p p e R u a u lt

PROJECT BACKGROUND Cornell’s Arts Quad, where currently Milstein Hall resides, has served as the connection to a very fragmented area as well as a social gathering space which was very much in need of new life. It is a 14,000 m² complex containing muchneeded studio, exhibition and critique spaces, an auditorium and a new fine arts library. As a connecting structure, the second floor open plan studios links the second levels of Sibley and Rand Halls and cantilevers over University Avenue.

A parking lot once took its place in between Sibley and Rand hall, but now this project unites these different buildings of the Cornell AAP department, creating a space that formally aligns with the Fall Creek Gorge.

All four halls (Rand, Sibley, Tjaden and the Foundry) have different architectural styles but share a single typology: elongated, ‘corridor-ish’ buildings that divide the AAP’s subjects into grid-locked rooms.

The Milstein Halls’ studio spaces is a space currently absent from the campus: an open plan design which allows for a range of programs and allows for more flexibility. The underground floor which has critique spaces acommodates the archtecture students’ needs when it comes to reviews.

Outside of the auditorium is a sunken garden, exhibition space and plaza which extends into the central, domed portion of the building. This dome acts as the main hub of circulation. Milstein Hall’s expanding cantilevers, both to the north and the south east, create new areas of public space and encourage new ways to travel through the interlinked architecture department.

photos: OMA

COMPOSITE DIAGRAM

S U M M A R Y O F A N A LY T I C A L D I A G R A M S This particular composite diagram unifies the structural, envelope, material, circulatory and mechanical drawings, allowing for a detailed, multilayered overview of all the different complex systems that make Milstein Hall so unique. The following diagrams are arranged in such a way that we start off looking at the big picture - site and energy - before progressing to the finer details such as structure, envelope, circulation and finally the ingenious mechanical system that inhabits the roof of Milstein Hall.

Site, Form and Energy (1)

Site, Form and Energy (2)

Form and Structure (1)

Form and Structure (2)

Envelope and Materials (1)

Envelope and Materials (2)

Fire and Life Safety

Systems Integration

2 / SITE, FORM, AND ENERGY

SITE RESOURCES Cornell University campus has had a hydroelectric power plant that provides energy to the the campus by funneling water from Beebe Lake into sets of turbines that produce electricity all by using gravity. The same creek, named Fall Creek, provides water for the campus by passing through the Cornell water treatment plant that also uses gravity to filter the debris from the water making it potable enough to be provided to campus.

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expanded context

SITE FACTORS AND STRATEGY Because of the way the building is placed, it connects two buildings (Rand and Sibley Hall) that were already existing on the site. This combination of buildings allows for a sharing of energy resources needed to provide the building with enough heat due to the cold climate of Ithaca, especially in winter.

roof window wall floor

BUILDING PERFORMANCE REFLECTION The performance of this building is highly sustainable. The shape of this building allows for simple mechanical system layouts. As this building also connects to two other buildings that were already existing on the site it can share the systems between both buildings and act as a conduit to lower energy consumption of all three buildings combined.

EUI:46

Equipment Dominated

M o s t ly overlit

C L I M A T I C S U M M A R Y: I T H A C A From the psychrometric chart it is easy to ascertain that the climate of Ithaca is very cold and is very much in need of some heat. there are very few days that, if ever, make it into the comfort zone.

One of the reasons that this place is so cold is probably because the relative humidity of Ithaca is high making the area not only cold but also wet.

B U I L D I N G P E R F O R M A N C E A N A LY S I S Target EUI: 18 | EUI Result: 46 | Dominant Load: Equipment Despite all of the advanced mechanical systems within the building, Milstein Hall comes nowhere close to meeting the target EUI of 18. This is perhaps a little unrealistic, considering the high amount of glass usage for the enclosure.

3 / ENVELOPE AND MATERIALS

Aluminum Paneling green roof glass steel framing

BUILDING ENVELOPE: GLASS CURTAIN WALL Most of the second floor facade is made up of floor-to-ceiling glass windows which encompass most of the second floor studios and a large portion of the first floor circulatory space. This was done to provide adequate light throughout the studio space since it is in a colder climate with minimal natural sunlight during most seasons. Yet even with this full-expanse curtain wall artificial lighting is still needed year round to fully light the building.

above: Glass curtain wall from primary street below: glass curtain wall from arts quad Photos: Iwan Baan

concrete aluminum mullions glass

BUILDING ENVELOPE: ALUMINUM PANELING The aluminum paneling is the aesthetic method which OMA employs to cover the mechanical systems on the exterior of the building. It is mostly found on the upper floor on the exterior of the building wherein the majority of the mechanical systems are placed.

aluminum paneling Photo: Iwan Baan

sDA: 64%

ASE: 50%

D A Y L I G H T I N G P E R F O R M A N C E A N A LY S I S Surprisingly, the daylighting results are rather underwhelming. An SDA rating of 64% is acceptable, but far from being stellar. The ASE figure (50%), however, is rather poor. Buildings should aim to have a result that is preferably under 10%, and this comes nowhere near. The SDA figure is unexpected, considering the entire building is essentially clad with glass, supposedly letting in ample sunlight. This however drags down the ASE result as there is too much glass and too little shading.

second floor studio space P h o t o : p h i l l i p e r u a u lt

4 / FORM AND STRUCTURE

enclosure

hybrid truss system stairwell frame

STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS All of the structural systems for this project were prefabricated offsite before any construction happened on site. After the fabrication was finished the prefabricated structure was lowered and placed in between the Sibley and Rand hall as a way to cohesively connect both buildings while creating a new identity for the Milstein Hall. After the skeletal system was placed and all the mechanical guts installed/ covered in concrete, the dome was cast on site and the skin was draped over the surface.

above: structure being moved into place below: completed yet empty studio space with exposed columns/trusses Photo: cornell university

PROGRAM Most of the program of the building is taken up by the open plan studio space on the second floor. On top there is a green roof with skylights which spans the entirety of the roof surface and covers all the lower floors. At ground level most of the program is dedicated to circutation. This circulation is meant to get you up, down, or to the auditorium space. Below ground, underneath this circulatory dome, is the critique space and beside it the auditorium, which is used for presentations and lectures.

critique space Photo: iwan baan

bridge/staircase Photo: iwan baan

studio gathering space photo: iwan baan

5 / FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY

p r i m a ry c i r c u l at i o n

CIRCULATION Most of if not all of the ground floor of the building is dedicated strictly to circulation. From all entrances of the building you can practically see all the pathways you can take to get to the different programs.

There is a bridge that connects the underground floor to the ground floor and to the auditorium. The auditorium is the only space where you can either go up to the studios, straight into the critique space, or up the bridge and outside to the ground floor

e g r e s s c i r c u l at i o n

EGRESS This building has only one egress way in the form of an exterior, open-air staircase. Since Milstein Hall directly connects Sibley and Rand Halls it is possible to use the egress stairs that are located in those buildings as additional ways of egress for Milstein Hall.

6 / SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

fro ter wa lake d l co uga y ca

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wat e r pipes chilled beam

MECHANICAL SYSTEMS Milstein Hall uses a chilled beam system that is embedded within the concrete slabs of the building (roof, floor etc.). This is a very clever system that sources water from Cayuga Lake on campus and funnels it through pipes and into the chilled beams, allowing for efficient cooling of the building while using minimal energy, granting Milstein Hall its LEED Silver rating. During winter, the same HVAC system employs radiant heating to make sure the inhabitants do not freeze!

6.1 Library, showing slot diffuser Photos: Steve Hall/Hedrich Blessing

green roof and skylights concealing sub-roof chilled beams photo: matthew carbone

7 / PROJECT DOCUMENTATION

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8 / REFERENCES NOTES Milstein Hall at Cornell University / OMA. (2011, October 31). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from https://www. archdaily.com/179854/milstein-hall-at-cornell-university-oma-2 Milstein Hall Cornell University. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2017, from http://oma.eu/projects/milstein-hall-cornelluniversity Milstein Hall: Built to Inspire. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2017, from https://aap.cornell.edu/about/campuses-facilities/ ithaca/milstein-hall Milstein Hall Comes Alive. (2017, November 10). Retrieved December 08, 2017, from http://www.cornell.edu/video/ milstein-hall-comes-alive Milstein Hall. Cornell University - Data, Photos & Plans. (2017, November 11). Retrieved December 08, 2017, from https:// en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/milstein-hall-cornell-university/ Milstein Hall at Cornell University | OMA. (2017, February 20). Retrieved December 08, 2017, from https://www.arch2o. com/milstein-hall-cornell-university-oma/ Rinaldi, M. (2016, October 08). Milstein Hall by OMA. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from http://aasarchitecture. com/2016/10/milstein-hall-oma-2.html Maya, W. (2017, April 27). BIM experimentation. Milstein Hall. – Selected Works – Medium. Retrieved November 08, 2017, from https://medium.com/william-maya/revit-milsteinhall-92087ed11b7 14, 2. S., & William Staffeld/College of Architecture, Art and Planning. (n.d.). Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved November 11, 2017, from http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2017/09/cornell-architecture-programs-hold-top-rankings-national-survey DesignIntelligence Announces Top Architecture Schools for 2017–2018. (2017, September 22). Retrieved November 9, 2017, from https://www.archdaily.com/880189/designintelligence-announces-top-architecture-schools-for-2017-nil-2018 Gensler, A. (2017, December 06). PHOTOS: Rem Koolhaas At Cornell. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://m. huffpost.com/us/entry/972564 Pritzker Prize-Winning Architect Rem Koolhaas to Lecture at Cornell University’s Bailey Hall on Oct. 20. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://newswise.com/articles/pritzker-prize-winning-architect-rem-koolhaas-to-lecture-at-cornelluniversity-s-bailey-hall-on-oct-20

ADDITIONAL SOURCES I. (2010, November 28). The Construction of Milstein Hall - Part 5 Steel Superstructure. Retrieved December 08, 2017, from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tDjCIhzN_iE I. (2010, October 14). The Construction of Milstein Hall - Part 4 Concrete. Retrieved November 11, 2017, from https://m. youtube.com/watch?v=BNwVGG3TSM4 I. (2011, July 26). The Construction of Milstein Hall - Part 6 The Dome. Retrieved November 7, 2017, from https://m.youtube. com/watch?v=xQP-e3OWSGE I. (2012, March 16). The Construction of Milstein Hall - Part 8 Curtain Wall. Retrieved November 8, 2017, from https://m. youtube.com/watch?v=AaF6MmF5ENs I. (2012, March 16). The Construction of Milstein Hall - Part 9 Stone & Soffit. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://m. youtube.com/watch?v=CNEHXcB5w7U I. (2010, August 07). The Construction of Milstein Hall - Part 1 Getting Ready. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ScYrroXKz6g I. (2010, October 11). The Construction of Milstein Hall - Part 2 Substructure. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://m. youtube.com/watch?v=DMX5jo-VUAI\ I. (2010, November 13). The Construction of Milstein Hall - Part 3 Slabs. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://m. youtube.com/watch?v=bD4qEKEZLhY I. (2010, October 14). The Construction of Milstein Hall - Part 4 Concrete. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://m. youtube.com/watch?t=7s&v=BNwVGG3TSM4

IMAGE CREDITS Cover image: photograph © Matthew Carbone Milstein Hall at Cornell University / OMA. (2011, October 31). Retrieved November 5, 2017, from https://www.archdaily. com/179854/milstein-hall-at-cornell-university-oma-2 Back cover image: photograph © Matthew Carbone Milstein Hall at Cornell University / OMA. (2011, October 31). Retrieved November 5, 2017, from https://www.archdaily. com/179854/milstein-hall-at-cornell-university-oma-2 Other images taken by © Iwan Baan / © Phillipe Ruault / © Cornell University All other images were created by the authors