Weiss / Manfredi’s Arts Facility to Open in New York

The 98,000ft², seven-storey Diana Center, a multi-use arts facility at Barnard College, New York, will be unveiled on 3 February 2010.

The $70m scheme has been designed by US-based Weiss / Manfredi architects and is expected to achieve LEED silver certification.

The glass-clad facility features the dynamic layering of functions including a black box theatre, a 500-seat performance / multi-use space, cafe, dining room, library, classrooms and exhibition galleries.

The new campus unites all academic, cultural and social functions into one physical space by a series of ascending stairs and internal views through slipped atria.

The structure features 1,100 luminous terracotta-coloured etched glass panels, which provide views of the city and campus while giving it a three-dimensional appearance.

The building is part of the college’s multiyear master plan to increase spatial efficiency, improve infrastructures and add academic and administrative space.