New York’s Net-Zero University Campus

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17 May 2023

Stony Brook University in New York is set to open a new, net-zero campus to address the climate crisis.

On Governors’ Island, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and The Trust for Governors Island announced that Stony Brook University will serve as the anchor institution for the development of the new climate solutions centre designed by SOM.

The New York Climate Exchange (“The Exchange”) will be a first-of-its kind international centre for developing and deploying dynamic solutions to our global climate crisis, while also acting as a regional hub for the rapidly evolving green economy.

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The living laboratory will 400,000 square feet of green-designed building space, including research labs, classroom space, exhibits, greenhouses, mitigation technologies, and housing facilities. “This is a place for every New Yorker to learn and engage with the environment, because all of us are in this together,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams at the announcement.

As the lead architect on Stony Brook’s team, SOM has spent several months developing designs for a new kind of campus: one that not only sets the stage for our post-carbon world, but also centres a compelling new public realm for all New Yorkers. The design and operations of The Exchange–conceived by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in collaboration with Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, Buro Happold, and Langan Engineering–will serve as a model for sustainability, deploying energy-positive design strategies including mass timber construction, on-site solar power generation, and integration of existing buildings to achieve a net-zero energy campus.

Picture: an aerial photograph showing Governors’ Island. Image Credit: © SOM | Miysis

Complementing the natural landscape of Governors Island and the urban landscape of New York City, the design weaves new architecture into the island’s beloved park to create a living laboratory for research, education, and public enjoyment. The Exchange will showcase resiliency and sustainability, as the first buildings in New York City to meet Living Building Challenge standards and be one of the first sites in the country to achieve True Zero Waste certification, meet 100 per cent of its non-potable water demand with rainwater and treated wastewater, and run entirely on electricity generated on-site—even creating enough energy to serve the city’s power grid.

In addition to convening the world’s leaders and climate experts, The Exchange will host green job training and skills-building programs for local residents to help them launch successful careers, as well as partner with local institutions like the Pratt Institute, Pace University, New York University, the City University of New York, SUNY Maritime College, Brookhaven National Labs, and IBM on addressing the social and practical challenges created by climate change—including research that becomes commercially viable and ideas that lead to immediate action on the local and global levels.

Picture: a render taken from above showing Governors’ Island. Image Credit: © SOM | Miysis

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 17 May 2023

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