Copy of the proposal, including description, renderings, and all the other bells and whistles here. Note that this isn’t a total teardown and replacement, but an addition onto the previous building. Perhaps the biggest change is the addition of a large, curved structure on what is current Gannett’s parking lot. The feeder road to Willard Straight will stay in place, going under the new addition, and the ambulance bays will also be located here.
Note how it says Levels 1 and 2. The elevation changes allow for a partial below-grade section under the main level that connects with Ho Plaza’s walkway. Above the road will be three levels of offices and exam rooms, with a mechanical penthouse on top of the new structure. So 4/5 floors, depending on your viewpoint.
Although it looks like some of the original structure will be preserved, it gets a major facadectomy. Larger windows and and a more “contemporary” entrance will be built on the Ho Plaza side. About the only similarity to the current structure is the use of Llenroc stone for the outline.
The current entrance gets replaced with a two-story addition (shown on the right), and the 70s addition also gets a revised facade (but remains mostly intact).
Probably my biggest complaint is the subtle multi-hued glass panels. It looks cheesy. My armchair critic says to stick with one panel color, ideally the a neutral grey/smoke tone. Other than that, it’s standard Cornell fare for the 2010s – a hypermodern glassy box, with the use of stone to try and harmonize it with the surrounding plaza and structures. The architect of record is local architecture/alumni-filled firm Chiang O’Brien.
As previously noted, the addition will add about 38,000 sq ft to Gannett, for a total of 96,000 sq ft. The projected cost is $55 million, and the target completion date is October 2017.
Ithacating in Cornell Heights 
This is great news for Cornell students concerned about their health. One of the things I’ve liked least about Ithaca is the prospect of needing to reach the hospital, which seems impossibly isolated for anyone without a car (sure; I can take a cab, but Ithaca’s cabs aren’t exactly fast or frequent enough in the event of sub-ambulance level emergencies). How this location could have been permitted in a college town where a high percentage of residents don’t drive and live downhill or across the valley from the facility is beyond me. Hopefully the new Gannet will take on enough hospital-like functions to make the prospect of needing to reach the “real” hospital even more rare (it wouldn’t hurt if Gannet were open later and on more days, either).
[…] at Cornell, the Gannett addition was formally announced, the Statler planned yet another makeover, Gates Hall opened and the Dairy […]
[…] The finalized renders by Ithaca-based Chiang O’Brien can be found here. Looking back at the initial proposal, most of the differences are in the roof/skylight layout, and some of the window and facade banding […]
[…] layout, and some of the window and facade banding was tweaked. The $25.5 million project is all clear for its March start date, for a completion in fall […]