A striking facade for an innovation-focused campus in New York City.

Completed in 2020, the Graduate Roosevelt Island is an 18-story hotel located within Cornell Tech's New York City campus. The facade scope, measuring over 64,000 SF, was entirely prefabricated as 294 megapanels at Island's New York factory. After assembly and glazing, each of the 26-foot-tall units was delivered to site via barge for installation onto the superstructure by Island’s team over a span of just 11 weeks.

The custom-designed 2-story steel and aluminum megapanel enclosure creates a dynamic facade that changes appearance throughout the day, as light plays across the mirrored rainscreen finishes. This reflectivity, animated by the surrounding city, was central to Snøhetta's design intent for the project. Island’s team engaged in comprehensive pre-construction services, including large-scale material sampling and mockups, as a design-assist partner to support the project’s technical detailing.

Island provided the complete envelope systems package, including custom-designed operable windows for every hotel room, and integrated fire-rated glazing at lot adjacencies to ensure visual continuity across all facades.

The hotel is the second project we have completed at Cornell Tech. Our team also built and installed the school’s first academic structure, Morphosis Architects’ 2017 Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center.

In keeping with the campus master plan’s ambitious sustainability goals, Graduate Roosevelt Island was designed to achieve LEED Silver.

Project Information:

• Year Completed: 2020

• Certification: LEED Silver (Pending)

• Install Duration: 12 Weeks

• Facade Area: 64,000 SF

• Panel Count: 294

• Island Services Provided:

  • Design Assist

  • Engineering

  • Fabrication

  • Installation

Learn More:

• The Architect’s Newspaper, Snøhetta completes two more buildings on New York’s Cornell Tech Campus

• Field Condition, Construction Update: Cornell Tech Executive Education Center and Graduate Hotel

• New York YIMBY, Graduate Hotel And Verizon Executive Education Center Complete Construction On Roosevelt Island