The New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) recently completed its new Graduate Center, and the ribbon cutting ceremony will take place this evening at 401 Park Avenue at 28th Street. The creation of the new Graduate Center is a direct response to the launch of a number of new graduate programs and the corresponding increase in NYSID’s graduate student body, which has grown from 20 students in 2008 to 143 today.
In three years, NYSID has launched a three-year Professional-Level MFA in Interior Design, a one-year MPS in Sustainable Interior Environments, and a one-year MPS in Interior Lighting Design. Additionally, the School has recently been approved to offer a one-year master’s degree program in Health care Interior Design, which will launch in fall 2012.
“The School’s new graduate center signifies the evolution of our institution from a single-major school to a design college whose mission is committed to rethinking, in its vast totality, the design of the interior environment,” said NYSID President Christopher Cyphers. “The graduate center is home to a diverse slate of graduate programs that, together, provide a comprehensive design education and will influence the future of design practice.”
The Center occupies 40,000 square feet on two contiguous floors and was designed by architecture and design firm Gensler. Phase I of the Graduate Center—a 20,000-square-foot space on the third floor—opened in September 2010. The design of the two floors are similar—both sleek, light-filled spaces that have open layouts with seminar rooms, lecture halls, exhibition space, computer design labs and other workspaces all flowing into each other.
The design was intended to create an environment that removes barriers to creativity and encourages a level of interaction between students and faculty.
The Graduate Center is LEED-CI Platinum certified by the US Green Buildings Council—the design incorporates materials and finishes made from recycled materials. It also includes low-flow plumbing fixtures, LED lighting, daylight-harvesting technology, low-VOC paints, as well as an energy efficient, water-cooled HVAC system and sub-metering of electrical usage to help monitor and modulate energy consumption.
