The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation will open a new academic center in the ground floor of the School of Social Work, a space that has sat empty since 2004.
The University plans to begin interior renovations in the space for the new Center for Global Design and Development this summer, with tentative completion scheduled for fall 2012, according to an email from University spokesperson Victoria Benitez.
“GSAPP’s Center for Global Design and Development will be a state-of-the-art venue for reflection, research, and debate on the future of cities in the age of globalization,” Benitez said in the email.
The space, which has been empty since the School of Social Work on 121 Street opened in 2004, was originally slated for retail use.
In September, the University announced that it was unable to lease the 7,000 square foot space and would hold onto it for University purpose.
Any extra space is welcome news, said Bryce Suite, a second-year student in GSAPP. He said he and his peers have been feeling cramped in their current studios on campus.
“They shaved off an inch of each desk about a year ago to fit in another row of chairs and computers," he said "It’s annoying, we really have no place else to go.”
Suite said finding enough space is a constant issue. Currently, GSAPP is located in Avery Hall, but it also shares space in adjacent or nearby buildings like Fayerweather and Buell Halls, which can be a hassle when students have to carry their models with them.
Shaikha Almuvaraki, a 2010 graduate of GSAPP and a current student in the Advanced Architectural Research program, said she hopes the new center will extend the research materials offered at the Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library.
“It’s really good now, but additional research resources would be great,” she said of Avery.
While it’s not clear whether the new center will house space for research labs and studios, GSAPP Dean Mark Wigley said it will encourage innovation.
“This unique space will draw all disciplines together into a whole new kind of conversation about our rapidly changing physical and intellectual world,” Wigley said in an email.
Larry Levi, one of the managers of the Apple Tree Market one block away, said he’s not particularly disappointed that the space will be going toward academic rather than retail purposes.
“I don’t think it really has any effect on me at all,” he said, adding that any increased foot traffic, whether from the planned center or a new restaurant, might actually help existing retail along Amsterdam Ave. “I guess another restaurant would be nice, but I don’t know if this neighborhood could support another restaurant.”
Almaz Ghebrezgabher, who manages the Massawa Restaurant down the block, said the University’s decision also makes no difference to her.
“Bringing a store is good, bringing a school is good,” she said. “Everything’s beautiful for me.”
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