Cornell University Milstein Hall

Ithaca, NY
  • Plaza
  • Cultural / Institutional
  • Rooftop
  • AIA Honor Award - Architecture, 2013
  • LEED Gold Certified

This 26,000 square foot green roof for Cornell University’s Milstein Hall opened to critical acclaim in 2011, functioning simultaneously infrastructure, art, and environmental mitigation. Planted in a dynamic pattern of red and green designed to change over time, this massive roofscape visually integrates the building with the spectacular colors of the surrounding forest canopy, especially in the fall months. SCAPE worked with team members to design the building’s roof slope and drainage system, arriving at a solution that reduced the project budget and met the architect’s desire to eliminate the need for a gutter system. Milstein Hall now provides versatile pedagogical space for the interdisciplinary departments of Arts, Architecture, and Planning at Cornell. The environmentally complementary design not only literally unites the modern structure with the historic campus, but also extends metaphorically toward the regional ecology, inspiring the next generation of students of architecture.

Client

  • Cornell University

Collaborators

OMA Rotterdam
Kendall / Heaton Associates
TG Miller