NYU to Debut Landmark Mixed-Use Project

New York University’s (NYU) Paulson Center is set to open to students, faculty and the public in the following couple of weeks. The 735,000-square-foot vertical campus, situated in Greenwich Village, N.Y., will feature housing for students and faculty across three residential towers.

The building is dedicated to alumnus John A. Paulson, following his $100 million donation to the university. Planned and developed over the last eight years, the academic building is the largest built by NYU at its Washington Square core.

With Davis Brody Bond and KieranTimberlake as architects, the Paulson Center features 407 spaces for student beds and 42 faculty units. Student housing floor plans include a mix of singles, doubles and triples with a shared bathroom and, in some units, a common space.

Carl Krebs, Partner at Davis Brody Bond, explained that the design for the student housing is intended to break the towers into smaller communities. This allows for a greater sense of community for students as well as contributes toward a positive learning environment and culture.

“The idea is that there is some sort of common space for the student’s sense of belonging among each other,” Krebs said during a tour of one of the first-year student dorm rooms.  

Experts down the line largely agree that living in a space that fosters community is among the top needs of students in dorms. Other housing amenities that directly benefit the students in the Paulson Center include a sky lobby and café, study spaces, a green roof and a two-story student lounge.

Faculty housing, located in a separate tower, consists of two- and three-bedroom apartments. The homes include skyline views, in-unit washers and dryers as well as modern appliances. The faculty tower features a private entrance, community lounge with kids’ playroom, faculty lounge and outdoor terrace.

Paulson Center’s other features

The rest of the Paulson Center is open to all NYU students and faculty, and includes spaces separated into “neighborhoods”. These include a Commons area with a café for gathering, studying, events and public performances, a sky lobby, classrooms, study spaces, fitness facilities and theaters.

The fitness facilities in the Paulson Center will be the main fitness amenities for NYU. Included is a four-court gym, six-lane recreational pool, weight and cardio machines, squash courts and locker rooms. A gymnasium with a 2,000-person capacity is in the lower-level.

Home to the Tisch School of the Arts and Steinhardt School of Music, the Paulson Center has three theatres: The Iris Cantor Proscenium Theatre, the Warehouse Theatre and the African Grove Theatre. They range from 140 seats to 350 seats multipurposed for theatre, music and the performing arts. An ensemble rehearsal room and music and theater support spaces are also in the building.

Sustainably built with goals set by NYU’s Climate Action Plan, the building is anticipated to receive LEED Gold certification. Customized glass that minimizes solar gain and prevents bird collisions is utilized throughout the building, alongside energy efficient sources and green spaces.