The design of the new Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College enables the School to enrich its mission of social service for the 21st century by inviting access and open exchange among students, faculty and the East Harlem community through creative programming, physical transparency, and visual connections to the City. Silberman School of Social Work promotes unique opportunities for cross-disciplinary education, training, practice, and research. The new building campus is also home to the CUNY School of Public Health, the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños Library, and Archive, the Hunter Gallery, as well as the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging and Longevity.
Photography: Chuck Choi
Opened in September 2011, the as-of-right, 145,000 square foot LEED certified building is located in the heart of East Harlem. Our design approach discards the traditional and frequently used model of an urban university building as a fortress for learning close to the larger community. Rather than look inward, we designed the School to weave the community into its activities and the activities of the School back into the community. We used our design to create a dialogue with the neighborhood by revealing the building’s internal activities and inviting the public in to participate. Photography: Chuck Choi
Silberman School of Social Work massing follows local contextual zoning regulations permitting taller buildings along the Avenue while respecting lower sca...