• Brooklyn College West Quad
  • Brooklyn College West Quad
  • Brooklyn College West Quad
  • Brooklyn College West Quad
  • Brooklyn College West Quad
  • Brooklyn College West Quad

Location: Brooklyn, NY
Client: City University of New York 
Architect: Rafael Viñoly Architects PC
Photo Credit: Rafael Viñoly Architects PC

One of the primary design objectives of this project was to recover the spirit of the 1937 Brooklyn College Master Plan by recreating the West Quad as a landscaped space. The campus’ strong internal geometry has been redesigned so that the West Quad mirrors the East Quad, opposite Bedford Avenue.

To this end, an existing building had to be demolished to make room for the landscaped new West Quad. A new 4-story, 65-foot-tall building, housing student services and the campus’ athletic facilities, including an NCAA competition pool, NCAA basketball court, the two-court auxiliary gym, racquetball courts and weight fitness room. It was erected at the western end of the quad where it creates a border for the new green and establishes an east-west axis that crosses Bedford Avenue and reconnects the formerly divided campus.