Project
Team ········· Yotam Ben Hur
                     Anna Procopez
Type ········· Recreation
Year ······ 2016
Status ······· Academic


Columbia University Boat House®
The project explores the cultural and architectural issues intrinsic to the program of a university rowing boathouse incorporating community-outreach initiatives for inter-city youth.

Following the Bloomberg administration’s PlanNYC 2030 and the Greater Green Buildings Plan to substantially decrease the energy consumption of New York City’s buildings and reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, the design of the boathouse implements innovative sustainable design strategies including but not limited to increased thermal performance and the generation of on-site renewable energy.

Columbia University has decided to upgrade and modernize its boathouse facility on the Harlem River adjacent to Baker Field sports complex. Along with Steven Holl’s new Campbell Sports Center on 218th Street and Broadway, the University Community Boathouse will extend Columbia’s commitment to innovative and sustainable design. The University wants to continue to grow its neighborhood outreach initiatives – as part of this plan the new boathouse facility will incorporate rowing education and training programs for inter-city youth in tandem with its varsity collegiate rowing program. The outreach program is “dedicated to the belief that the sport of rowing provides unique abilities to promote personal and community growth through teamwork, discipline, and physical fitness”. Class room and training spaces will be included in the facility for the outreach program along with a multi-purpose room for public events.

The site, owned by Columbia University, is a parcel at 555 West 218th Street on the shore of the Harlem River. It is bordered by Columbia’s Baker Field sports complex to the south and Inwood Hill Park to the west. Boathouse Marsh – a cove and wetland between the site and Inwood Park designed by Field Operations – has been recently restored and renovated to provide new public access and amenities on the waterfront.