New digs help Academy of Science leap into 21st century.

The 189-years-old New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) has moved into state-of-the-art offices that are very different from its last home.

The prominent scientific institution chose [H.sup.3] Hardy Collaboration Architecture to reinvigorate and reinvent its image. [H.sup.3] was also to incorporate the latest in technology, sustainability, and contemporary materials--in short, create a design for a jump-start on the 21 st century.

[H.sup.3]--so named because it is the third international firm begun in New York by renowned architect Hugh Hardy--created a spacious 40,000 s/f headquarters in 7 World Trade Center that embodies the Academy's progressive mission and conveys its global reach.

The project adds to [H.sup.3]'s strong portfolio of work for such institutions as the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Theatre for a New Audience/TFANA in downtown Brooklyn (in collaboration with Frank Gehry).

Hugh Hardy explained, "These light-filled interiors transform the Academy from an inward-looking membership to a more adventuresome assembly. It's an appropriate setting for an institution dedicated to international understanding."

Darlene Fridstein, director of interiors, and Geoffrey Lynch were the architects immediately responsible for the project's design, and Mercedes Armillas was [H.sup.3]'s project manager.

Hugh Hardy and Downtown New York: The Academy assignment represents a homecoming for Hardy, who has been involved extensively as both planner and architect in Lower Manhattan for many years.

Hardy, who designed the acclaimed Windows on the World restaurant on the top of Tower One of the former World Trade Center, said: "Imagine my excitement at the opportunity to return to this site to design the 40th floor of the first high-rise construction there since 9/11."

The Academy had previously occupied cramped facilities in a century-old Upper East Side mansion since 1949.

The Academy's new headquarters provide room for 85 employees as well as meeting facilities for up to 300 for its programs, which draw scientists from all over the world. [H.sup.3] sliced the parallelogram floor plate on a north-south axis that doubles as an exhibition space.

The public side, along the eastern half of the floor, which faces the Woolworth Building, contains a large lobby that connects to three conference rooms. The largest room has moveable walls that open to accommodate big groups. Two pantries provide food service. Administrative and support spaces, mostly open and filled with natural light, are on the western half of the floor, facing the Hudson River.

[H.sup.3] also included many artistic features in its design including a three-dimensional ceiling-to-floor map in the lobby that pinpoints the Academy's 1817 founding place in Lower Manhattan; vibrantly-colored carpeting, also by [H.sup.3], that replicates the DNA double-helix; and four wallpaper murals by internationally-renowned graphic design firm, 2x4, that are visual representations of science.

Sustainability was another design imperative.

[H.sup.3] specified state-of-the-art technology, such as energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, to reduce energy consumption; used recyclable materials for many of the fabrics, furniture, and finishes; and selected materials free of volatile organic compounds [VOCs]. Full floor-to-ceiling windows flood natural light throughout the interiors and avoid the need for constant artificial lighting.