Stanford and Cornell are locked in a deathmatch over the proposed engineering campus on Roosevelt Island; proposals for the $400 million bid are due October 28 and the two universities are busy "outgreening" one another with environmental extras. In Cornell's corner (pictured above in the circulated architectural renderings, the only applicant to do so), we've got four acres of solar panels, 500 geothermal wells, and "buildings with the rare distinction of generating as much power as they use," generating 1.8 megawatts of power, or enough to power 1,400 American homes. The whole shebang was designed by SOM and is "oriented to the arc of the sun."
In Stanford's, we've got standard, "less specific" eco-practice that minimizes energy use and relies on a graywater system with a filtration marsh, recycled rain runoff, and reused toilet "black water." Though both teams promise experimental technology, plus green space for the public, Cornell's transparency seems like a plus, though at this point every move the top contenders make are maneuvers in a public relations war to win over the Bloomberg administration. Either way, officials involved in the selection process are said to already be calling the project "Silicon Island."
· Environmental Features in Science Campus Plans [New York Times]
#183; Engineering Campus coverage [Curbed]
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