New Vagelos Education Center praised by critics

Even before its official opening on August 15, the Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center has drawn glowing praise from architecture critics and others for its transformative presence.

By bringing on Diller Scofidio + Renfro, in collaboration with Gensler as executive architect, Columbia University Medical Center sought to redefine student collaboration, provide first-rate programming and tools, and reimagine the connection between the campus and its Washington Heights neighbors. Architect Magazine praises the result: “The architects broke through the normally strict calculus of the high-rise to create a non-institutional building, and broke out of the usually deadening sobriety of medical buildings. The project is generous to the street, to the neighborhood, and to the city.”

Below is a round-up of media coverage that touches on everything from the structural magic that raised the building to how its spaces will dramatically reshape how students learn medicine:

Learn more about the Vagelos Education Center. If you are a member of the media and wish to inquire about the building, please contact CUMC Office of Communications & Public Affairs at cumcnews@columbia.edu.