A day at Grace Farms

October 27, 2018 • 1 Comment

New Cannan CT has a couple of architectural jewels. One is The Glass House, designed by architect Philip Johnson, his home for many years. I visited the Glass House and will write a blog and upload a gallery in the near future. But this blog is about the other architectural jewel, Grace Farms and the River building. It does look like a river when viewed from higher elevation as it winds it’s way through the green hills and meadows. Grace Farms, the River as seen from the bottom. The Court at right, the Pavilion at left And I would have no issue if it was called the Snake. But 'the River' fits much better with the vision of Grace Foundation and the architectural firm that took on the project. That firm was SANAA. Led by Pritzker Prize winning architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa and a staff of 25 in Tokyo, their designs are, in the words of the Pritzker jury, “The buildings by Sejima and Nishizawa seem deceptively simple. The architects hold a vision of a building as a seamless whole, where the physical presence retreats and forms a sensuous background for people, objects, activities, and landscapes.” Some of their notable designs are The Serpentine Galleries in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Central London, The Louvre-Lens in Lens, Pas-de-Calais, Northern France, The Rolex Learning Centre ("EPFL Learning Centre") in Lausanne, Switzerland and The New Museum of Contemporary Art, in New York City

In 2010, Grace Farms Foundation, selected SANNA to bring to life their vision for a flourishing place and multi-purpose building where visitors could get close to nature, explore the arts, pursue justice, be part of a community and explore faith. The building would blend effortlessly into the landscape with minimal interference, taking advantage of the landscape and its topography. Basically it is a single long roof that meanders its way across the landscape connecting all-glass rooms, some very large, others on a smaller scale. The structures are made of glass, concrete, steel, and wood. Grace Farms is a non-profit center dedicated to advancing faith, nature, arts, community and justice initiatives.The center is owned and managed by Grace Farms Foundation, a private organization, which encourages individuals and institutions to collaborate for good at the local, national, and global level. The 80 acre site also includes a walking trail and 75 of the acres are left in a native state made up of hills, meadows, ponds and wetlands.

As you leave your car in the parking area, the first buildings you see are the two ‘barns’. In the West Barn you’ll find the Welcome Center, an art studio, classrooms, a rehearsal space and a number of meeting rooms for both public and private programs. The community church is also located here. The East barn holds offices for the staff.

Grace Farms, the River, the Pavilion Depending on which way you walk once out of the West barn you may come across the the Pavilion. It is the smallest glass-enclosed volume of the River buildings. It is a space where people are welcome to relax, have a conversation with others, sit in Arne Jacobson Swan Chairs and sip some tea from a tea bar. It offers 360 views of the grounds from anywhere in the room.

Grace Farms, the River, down on the Court Short walk to the right and at the bottom of the River, you’ll find the Court, a multi-purpose recreational/gym and event space. It is below ground level but it’s surrounded on all sides by glass, allowing natural light to filter in and also for those walking outside to peak in and see what’s going on in the gym. It could be pick-up basketball, pickleball, volleyball and other sports. There’s a mezzanine with tables and sitting for board games, studying, and spectators. It’s a very bright and pleasing space with gorgeously varnished 85-foot long GLU-LAM beams and wood paneling.

Grace Farms, the River, the Commons Following the River upstream, passing the Pavilion you’ll com up on the Commons. It’s a central community gathering place where fresh food and beverages are available for purchase for lunch or for a light snack. For large groups there are 18-foot-long communal tables made from red oak harvested on site. Some of the produce used in the Commons kitchen comes from Grace Farms’ Community Garden or sourced locally. For those who like sweets, pastries are made on-site daily. My lunch there was a delicious tomato soup, two pieces of fried chicken on a Portuguese roll with lettuce and grilled vegetables. For desert, a gluten free tart which tasted pretty good. One level below, either by stairs or elevator, you’ll find a 42-seat lecture hall for curated visual programs, training, and various presentations. As you walk the River there are also some round concrete buildings. Those are for bathrooms and elevator access.

Grace Farms, the River, the Library Further up the River is the Library. With all-glass walls it’s a space where one can read, study, hold a meeting in the small conference room, work or relax near the fireplace during winter months. Books in the Library are available for purchase and loan, and mostly cover the initiatives at the core of Grace Farms: faith, nature, arts, community and justice. In the middle of the Library is the Justice Bar with mixed media resources to learn about the global crime of human trafficking and modern day slavery.

Grace Farms, the River, inside the Sanctuary At the top of The River you’ll find the Sanctuary. It’s a 700-seat indoor amphitheater that naturally slopes downhill. From the seats one can see the expansive views of Grace Farms’ natural landscape. Performances, lectures, workshops and a variety of activities are held here. It seats a maximum of 700 people. When I visited on a weekday there was nothing really going on there. However there was a sound installation by Julianne Swartz. Interestingly the sound installation was also available in the Library via specially designed audio boxes that one would hold to the ear to experience the sound installation without interfering with the folks in the Library. The view from the Sanctuary is spectacular. One can see the River as it winds and meanders its way all the way down to the Court.

I also went on the hiking trail. It’s about one mile or so and winds its way around the property around a couple of ponds. I didn’t see much wildlife on the short hike. The trail is not marked very well and you may find yourself in the backyard of a neighbor. I did see a pair of Red-tailed hawks. One of hawks was enjoying a just-caught bird. One of the staff told me there’s wood ducks there in the spring.

Grace Farms, the River, the Pavilion as storm approaches Grace Farms, a beautiful, inspiring and uplifting place. For what the Grace Foundation stands for, and for the unique architectural design of the River. To me it’s also about all the curves, light and shadow at different times of the day. And as the day turns into night, the warm glow coming from the lights in the River buildings brings a bit of magic to the place. A place to experience by oneself or share and enjoy with others, view from different vantage points, study, photograph and contemplate.

An extensive photo gallery of Grace Farms can be found here.

Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, NYC

August 02, 2018 • Leave a Comment

Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, NYC In the past couple of years as I drove over the Queensborough bridge to make my way into and out of Manhattan I noticed a great deal of construction going on just south of the bridge on Roosevelt Island. At first it was fairly low level construction, maybe five stories high. But later on I noticed the building of a residential tower growing close to the bridge rising up at a fast rate. In a few short months it was higher than the level of the bridge. I knew that the City of New York led by then Mayor Mike Bloomberg offered the land to Cornell University for the development of a new campus with technology at its foundation. The Cornell Tech campus opened in 2017. I’ve been on Roosevelt Island many times. Beautiful little jewel of an island with long walking alleys lined with cherry- blossom trees next to the East River with a fantastic view of its much bigger sister Manhattan, especially at night. At the very south end is the beautifully designed Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. And at the very tip of the north end, Roosevelt Island Lighthouse, a stone lighthouse (currently non functioning) built by New York City in 1872, now on the national register of historic places since 1972.

I decided to take a couple of days and revisit Roosevelt Island and spend a few hours checking out the Cornell Tech campus. I also took the 45 minute campus tour give by Cornell. It is given weekly. I enjoy discovering and studying architecture a lot. From the ultramodern like the Crystal in Ontario, Canada (here) to the Etruscan residential architecture in Italy (here)

Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, NYC, Tata Innovation Center A short history of how Cornell Tech got to build on Roosevelt Island.

In 2010 the City of New York went searching for a university strong in engineering and applied sciences to build a new research institute and issued a challenge to institutions from around the world. Then Mayor Mike Bloomberg sweetened the deal by offering real estate for the university at almost no cost along with $100 million in infrastructure upgrades. The result was 18 proposals from 27 outstanding institutions from six US states and 8 countries. Early 2011, Stamford university was one of the front runners mostly because of it’s strong performance in launching start-ups and cooperation with Silicon Valley companies. To strengthen its position and perhaps to gain a slight advantage in the selection, it partnered with the City University of New York. Later in the year another university became a strong contender for the campus, Cornell University, the Ivy league institution from Iticha N.Y. As did Stamford, it also found a partner in Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. In December Stamford announced that it would drop out of the running while Cornell announced that it secured a $350 million donation toward the building of the campus. By the end of the month Mayor Bloomberg announced that Cornell and Techion had won the proposal. Since winning the proposal, Cornell Tech has raised more than $750 million towards the development of Cornell Tech. The $350 million donation came from Charles F. Feeney, a billionaire who founded Duty Free Shoppers. Irwin Jacobs, Qualcomm (the American multinational semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company that designs and markets wireless telecommunications products and services) founding chairman and CEO emeritus, and his wife, Joan, gave $133 million. Bloomberg Philanthropies donated $100 million. Make it a total of $850 million if we also count the $100 million from the city of New York for infrastructure upgrades.

The City of New York contemplated giving land for the project either on Staten Island or Roosevelt Island. Staten Island, a bit isolated, has a great deal of space, but the location of Roosevelt Island is unbeatable. A short tram ride, subway ride or a bike ride if you prefer will take you to Manhattan. And the proximity to so many corporations and businesses, cultural and educational venues made it an easy choice.

Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, NYC, Bloomberg Center Cornell Tech is about connecting academia with commercial and non-profit organizations bringing them together to work for a better digital future. Cornell Tech offers graduate and post graduate education and research for the digital age integrating technology, business, law and design in service of economic impact and societal good. Cornell Tech’s focus on innovation is also reflected in the concept, design and building of its urban campus. It sits on 12 acres just south of Queensborough bridge, previously occupied by Goldwater Memorial Hospital, with expansive views in all directions, acres of green and public spaces. It is one of the most environmentally friendly and energy efficient campuses in the world.

Currently it is made up of three buildings, two of which are of a striking design.

The Bloomberg Center is Cornell Tech’s hub for learning. The four-story academic building, named in honor of the Mayor's daughters, Emma and Georgina Bloomberg, it is the intellectual center of the campus. Designed by Thom Mayne of the Pritzker Prize-winning firm Morphosis, the building is clad in a warm bronze-colored metal. The wall panels, designed and fabricated by Zahner, have small punched-out circles with tabs tilting them to various angles to form a background design, representing pixelated nature from a distance. Viewed from Manhattan the wall should show the New York City skyline. On the campus side, if you can get far enough, it shows the countryside in Iticha NY. The flat roof is a lilypad-shaped photovoltaic canopy. The design sets new standards for building performance and targeting Net Zero and LEED Platinum Certification. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a green building rating program. It operates under the umbrella of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit coalition of building industry leaders. The goal of the rating system is to encourage and reward sustainable design for—sustainable site choice, energy savings, water efficiency, reduction of CO2 emissions, and indoor environmental quality, among others—all while improving company profitability and employee well-being. Net Zero energy buildings combine energy efficiency and renewable energy generation to consume only as much energy as can be produced onsite through renewable resources over a specified time period. The aim at the Bloomberg Center is to have:

Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, NYC, Bloomberg Center • An all-electric building: No fossil fuel is used in the building.

• Geothermal wells: 80 closed-loop geothermal wells, each 400 feet deep, were drilled below the main campus public open space. The electrically powered ground-source heat pumps are used to heat and cool the building in conjunction with an active chilled-beam system.

• Solar power: An acre-sized photovoltaic array tops The Bloomberg Center and neighboring Tata Learning Center building, generating solar power. Instead of locating remote solar panels off site, the designs of The Bloomberg Center and the Tata incorporate the panels as an integral building design feature, converging engineering requirements and architecture.

• Highly insulated façade: A unitized, continuously insulated rainscreen wall system covered by an iconic metal panel façade designed by Morphosis architects balances exterior views and daylight while maximizing facade insulation.

• Smart building technology: Smart building features, designed by Morphosis and engineering firm Arup, provide on-demand power and respond to user needs and occupancy, contributing to reducing energy usage.

• Green roof: A low-maintenance green roof incorporates native plant species along the southeast edge of the building to help cool the lower roof surface.

Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, NYC, Tata Innovation Center The Tata Innovation Center formerly known as The Bridge, is very different than the Bloomberg building. Designed by Weiss/Manfredi Architecture it has a central bowtie-shaped space that connects floors and collaboration spaces. Cantilevered wedge outcroppings at the north and south ends, interior views of the East River, an outdoor classroom on the building’s east side. The 245,000-square-foot building holds classrooms, labs and studios in its lower third. The upper floors will host technology companies and start-ups. The glass façade melds inside and out, allowing those inside to draw inspiration from river-to-river views throughout the interior of the building and from the rooftop terrace. It is built to LEED Silver sustainability standards.

Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, NYC, Tata Innovation Center and The House The House is the residential tower for students and faculty with about 350 apartments and about 500 beds on 26 floors. It was designed by Handel Architects to meet stringent Passive House standards that aim to achieve aggressive efficiency targets of 60 to 70 percent less energy consumption than a standard building. In order to achieve energy conservation targets, The House at Cornell Tech needed to be super insulated and tightly sealed, almost completely eliminating thermal bridging and reducing air leakage.

The House is the largest and tallest residential building in the world built to Passive House standards.

The building’s exterior shimmers, using a state-of-the-art, color-changing paint that, when reflecting light, naturally shifts color from silver to warm champagne. The façade, constructed of a prefabricated metal panel system, acts as a thermally insulated blanket wrapping the building structure. The wrap ends in a louver system that extends the entire height of the building. This reveal is designed to be the ‘gills’ of the building, providing an enclosed, louvered exterior space where the heating and cooling equipment live, allowing the building systems to breathe.

Purified fresh air is ducted into each bedroom and living room, providing superior indoor air quality. Use of low VOC-paint, which limits off-gassing and also improves indoor air quality, is used throughout the building, among many other elements. Compared to conventional construction, the building is projected to save 882 tons of CO2 per year, equal to planting 5,300 new trees.

Additional energy reduction and sustainability measures included an energy recovery ventilator that uses hot and cold energy from exhaust air to condition and circulate fresh air throughout the building, improving indoor air quality; glazed, triple-pane windows; and maximized natural lighting to Passive House standards. Geothermal-powered heating and cooling systems are located in a louvered ridge running up one side of the building. Residents can access energy usage data, further encouraging conservation. Rainwater collection helps to irrigate landscaped areas and native plantings around the building.

Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, NYC, Tata Innovation Center Two more buildings are scheduled for construction at the pressent time. Verizon Executive Education Center and Hotel. The buildings are designed by Snøhetta and are the final part of phase one of the campus. The center will be a place for the entire tech community to gather, a convening place to leverage the impact the campus has on technology beyond its degree programs targeting young women in the undergraduate and graduate school pipeline that aims to increase the number of women working in technology.

The current campus is home to about 300 graduate students and 30 world-class faculty. When fully completed, sometime in the late 2030s to early 2040s, the campus will include two million square feet of state-of-the-art buildings, over two acres of open space, and will be home to more than 2,000 graduate students and 250 of faculty and staff. The future for Cornell Tech is very bright.

Many more images of the campus in the Cornell Tech campus gallery here.

Sources and quotes: Cornell Tech; architectural firms

Updating 'Suburban conflict' post

July 11, 2018 • Leave a Comment

YCNH gathering nest material. It's been more than a month since I observed and wrote about this conflict in suburban Long Island very close to where I live. Conflict between nesting Yellow-Crowned Night-Herons and the people who live right under the nesting colony. At that time the herons just about completed their nests and were about to lay eggs. I think five nests in the same tree or neighboring trees make it a colony. I've been watching all along as I did my morning walk almost every day and I have good news to report. Good news for the herons and not so good for the home owners as you might have already guessed. And also, sadly, very bad news about one unfortunate young heron.

Young YCNH in nest. Poop is all over the nest and nearby branches. The good news first. All five nests are still active and have done very well. From what I can see, one nest has five offsprings, another four and I am guessing the other three have three ore more youngsters. Hard to tell with the dense foliage now. And all youngsters are very close to fledging. They are testing their wings constantly. Either at the nest or as they move about on tree branches. And a few are taking very short flights between tree limbs. They have been growing very fast and are close in size to the adults. The nests are very crowded and some of them need to find nearby branches for a place Young YCNHs resting on tree branch. to rest. Also they are very hungry. With so many mouths to feed the parents are very busy. And all that food equals to a lot of poop. And they constantly do. The smell is pretty strong. Most birds that feed on fish make one nasty smelling poop. Also I have seen one chick throw up a pellet. Undigested parts from their diet. So most of the day they rest on tree branches, exercise their wings and wait for a meal. And when they see the parent coming in with food it's a mad dash to the nest. The parent regurgitates the pray right in the nest. And the youngsters dive in. The meal is gone in less than a minute.

This nest had five young YCNHs, all very active and hungry. The bad news for the home owner is that with about 30 birds in the trees the amount of poop is huge. Briefly saw them but I didn't hear any complaints. Maybe they got used to it, (really?), or maybe they've given up since there's not much to do about it. It will be there for another few weeks and then it's over. Don't even think to ask them what's going to happen next year.

YCNH poop on street. And the smell is pretty strong. Now, very bad news for one of the youngsters. While taking some photos of the almost fledging youngsters in the one nest with five of them, almost above me there was another nest with four youngsters. I heard a small commotion and spotted a parent flying in with a meal. Of course the chicks got excited and scrambled to get to the nest to get their share of food. As I was looking up at the action I saw one of the chicks rushing to the nest half walking half flying on a good size tree branch. As it did that, it lost its balance and fell to the pavement. I heard a solid thump as it hit the asphalt. Right in the middle of the street ten feet in front of me. It was a 40 foot drop. I quickly stepped over and saw that it was in shock and badly hurt. One leg was broken and probably also the wing that it fell on. I picked it up and took it by the curb and rested it on the grass. There wasn't much resistance to my handling it. Young YCNH seconds after falling from tree. It was a 40 food drop. Dazed and in shock. There was not much I could have done for this one. It had zero chances of surviving. I am sure in its short life it practiced flapping its wings and maybe even fly-hop to a nearby branch. But it was just too young and inexperienced to know what to do. All it had to do was spread its wings and glide to the ground. But it didn't know how or what to do. Five minutes after the fall I did see it give a try to move and flap one wing. But, just for a second or two. I know it was suffering and feeling a lot of pain. The shine in the eye slowly faded and in about 20 minutes or so it was gone. I continued watching the nest with five offspring for another 30 min or so and thought about what just happened. Then I packed up my gear, took a paper bag and placed the dead heron in it. I wasn't going to leave it there to wind up in a garbage can and be taken to the landfill, or worse … road kill. I took it home, and found a spot in the backyard, close to the pond by a hydrangea bush and underneath a hackberry tree. Final resting place in my backyard. Headstone will be there for a few days. I dug a two foot deep hole in the ground and gave it a proper burial. It was very hard to see it happen and as I write this my eyes are a bit watery. It's just hard to see, especially when one has some sort of a connection to the animal. I clearly understand that that's how nature works, every day all the time. It's just the way it is. But for the moment and the day it was sad to see. Link to YCNH gallery here.

Click on the images to see at full size.

Many more images covering both blog posts are in the Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron gallery here.

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A day at Grace Farms

Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, NYC

Updating 'Suburban conflict' post