The Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture, Academic Building and Library

9809 Bard Exterior

The Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture, Academic Building and Library

The multi-phased transformation of three historic townhouses creates an urban campus and physical identity for the Bard Graduate Center for Studies for the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture, an institution dedicated to advancing recognition of the decorative arts as primary expressions of human achievement.

9809 Bard Exterior
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9809 Bard Interior

The renovation and expansion joins two early twentieth-century residential buildings with narrow footprints and stringent landmark regulations into one modern building. Behind the restored historic brick and limestone Beaux Arts façades the buildings are stripped to the structural steel, two additional floors are added on top and into the rear yard. A new brick, copper and glass rear yard facade reflects the minimal aesthetic of the interior spaces.


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9809 Bard Ceiling
9809 Bard Conference People
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Large expanses of glass and new exterior rooftop terraces link interior and exterior, visually expanding the compact quarters of the building. Movement through the building is choreographed to orient users toward the natural light, particularly by creating open spaces from north to south where possible.

9809 Bard Stair
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The careful insertion of the new structure into its historic framework has transformed the interior of what was a private residence into an open, light-filled public environment for the decorative arts. With new and renovated facades to reflect its new academic identity, the building reemerges as a vital new institutional presence within the urban fabric of the city.

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Details

Year
2010
Location
New York, NY
Size
17,000 GSF
Program
Facade Restoration, Lobby/Reception Area, Lecture Hall, Library, Digital Imaging Center, Classroom, Seminar Space, Faculty Lounge, Faculty Office

Team

Ennead Design Team
Susan T. Rodriguez, Joseph Fleischer, Joanne Sliker, Sarah Jefferys, Stefan Knust, Clay Miller