[re-defining public space through circulation expansion and integration]

The Columbia Arts and Community Center is a 300,000 sf building straddling the steep border of Morningside Heights and Harlem. Situated on the northern end of Morningside Park, the arts center defines a new center for education and community interaction for Harlem.

The general form begins with an elevated entry for faculty which expands into academic and shared teaching facilities for students. As the program spirals away from the hillside, it culminates in a public atrium open to the the Harlem level visitors. The building plates pivot at each level to create a network of exterior balconies and passageways that wrap around the public program.