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The Columbia Earth Institute and Rafael Viñoly Architects, PC announce the completion and opening of the Monell Building, which will house Columbia University's International Research Institute for Climate Prediction on the Lamont-Doherty Campus in Palisades, New York. The climate research institute makes regional climate forecasts available to policymakers throughout the world, enabling them to better plan for which crops to grow, what public health policy to enact, and when to anticipate floods and droughts.
The new building will be dedicated at 4 p.m., Dec. 8. Among the more than two dozen dignitaries on hand for the dedication will be Dr. D. James Baker, the Administrator of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Professor G. O. P. Obasi, Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization, as well as meteorological leaders from Japan, Taiwan, and France. Brazil and other countries will also have representation.
The 149-acre Lamont-Doherty campus is situated on a rocky cliff offering panoramic views to the Hudson River. It was originally the chosen location of John Torrey, the renowned botanist and Columbia academic, who built his house on the very site of the new building. The estate was subsequently named "Torrey Cliffs" in honor of its original inhabitant. Today, approximately 430 scientists and staff members study the earth and its processes on the Lamont campus.
The building is comprised of two wings that spread over the Palisades Cliff and meet in the center to form the main entrance lobby. This lobby cuts across the building from west to east and cascades down the hillside to offer dramatic views of the Hudson River to the north and from the main staircase, the lower lounge area and the exterior deck. The roof is formed of simple wooden trusses place upon a gently arched wood-framed base structure. Each wing has two overlapping curved roof sections, (one slightly smaller and lower than the other), and where they meet at the center there is a continuous clerestory window giving light to the common areas between the offices and conference rooms. The cross-section of the building allows the use of natural ventilation for most of the year, reducing the dependence on air-conditioning systems and thus reducing operating costs.
Researchers' offices are arranged in six groups along the eastern side of the building to benefit from the river view. The conference rooms and support spaces are arranged to the west. The Lamont-Doherty Directorate is located at the southern end of the building with a separate entrance, conference room and exterior deck.
On the west side of the building, adjacent to the main entrance, the Conference Hall is for use by the entire campus and to host conferences. The hall accommodates 200 people and is fully accessible. The back of the stage is glass, opening onto the meadow with a view of the original Lamont estate.
Rafael Viñoly Architects, PC is currently working on a master plan for the entire Lamont-Doherty Campus which would include a student center as well as additional classrooms.
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