Aragon begins work on Columbia U. project.

Aragon Construction, New York's premiere general contracting and construction management firm, has just begun construction on Columbia University's newly leased space at 880 Third Avenue, Jack Resnick & Sons' 18-story office tower at the northwest corner of 53rd Street.

Columbia will utilize the new midtown space--the entire 7,300-square-foot second floor--for its Medical Center's Department of Ophthalmology, which will operate under the new name "Gloria & Lewis Flanzer Vision Care Center of Columbia University Medical Center." Aragon is scheduled to complete construction in January and the Department expects to be fully operational at the new facility by next spring.

Aragon has teamed with AIA: Integrated Design Group to create 14 treatment rooms, an elevator lobby, waiting area, office rooms and technical rooms. With over 14 types of light fixtures, 8 different kinds of stone and several styles of glass tile being used throughout the space, lighting and finishes are tailor-made to suit the purpose of the room that they are in.

In the elevator lobby, for example, visitors will be greeted with warm and inviting light, a soothing stone tile floor and a soft colored wood ceiling while in the waiting room, which will be uniquely lit with a variety of medium/high level light fixtures, patients can appreciate an intricate 50-foot-long by 9-foot-high feature wall of Anigre Quartered Fiddleback wood paneling and back lit glass.

Nothing about the space is typical: from the engineered hand-scraped Hickory wood used on the floors throughout all the corridors to the Acme partition systems that incorporate Rudy Art Glass, high end finishes come together to

In addition, the majority of the materials used in the build out are locally sourced.