Judging New Buildings – New York University Building on 1300 block of L Street, NW

Check out the new NYU building on the 1300 block of L Street, NW. What do you think so far – thumbs up or down?

The NYU Web site says:

In fall 2010 New York University held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Constance Milstein and Family Global Academic Center, a new facility in Washington, DC, establishing the University’s permanent presence in the nation’s capital, and expanding NYU’s network of study sites around the globe. The Center is named for NYU Trustee Constance Milstein in recognition of her $10 million gift to help establish the new site.

The facility itself will encompass a 12-story, mixed-use building, with 75,000 square feet of space. It will be centrally located in Northwest Washington, just blocks from the White House, the World Bank, and the Smithsonian, and adjacent to the cultural attractions on DC’s 14th Street corridor.

Designed by the award-winning firm of Hickok Cole Architects, the building will serve a variety of functions. The lower levels will feature seminar rooms, meeting spaces, and offices, as well as a 200-seat auditorium and an expansive lobby that will double as a student lounge and a venue for public events. Above, there will be five floors of dormitories and a few visitors’ apartments. In addition, the NYU Office of Government Relations and Community Affairs, and the Brademas Center for the Study of Congress will establish satellite locations within the Center. Importantly, the building will embrace NYU’s commitment to sustainability, targeting Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.