WITHIN / WITHOUT: An Interview with Alfred Lerner Hall

WITHIN/WITHOUTAN INTERVIEW WITH ALFRED LERNER HALL

Alfred Lerner Hall Student Center was completed in 1999.Lerner Hall is a center of activity for students, faculty, staff and alumni on Columbia’s Morningside campus designed by BERNARD TSCHUMI.

WITHIN / WITHOUT is a collection photographed, compiled & designed by YANYI LUO for Live at Lerner, an initative of the Office of Student Development and Activities in the Division of Student Affairs.

© 2011

All text materials used in this publication are from the official Alfred Lerner Hall website. columbia.edu/cu/lernerhall

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“The goal of the new student center was to create a space that would facilitate informal interactions while also serving as an anchor for campus activities of all

types.

“The 5,600-square-foot glass campus facade embodies the central themes for the building: accessibility, visibility, and an open, welcoming space in which students could interact both spontaneously and intentionally.

“After the building’s completion in October 1999, architectural critics raved about the open glass facade and the long ramps connecting the two sections of the building. The design won the American Architecture Award, the New York City AIA Design Award, and Time Best Design

of 1999.

At Columbia, it was the system of ramps and the point-fixing of the very light glass structure. We wanted to bring the maximum amount of light into the building itself. But again, movement is what defines space.BERNARD TSCHUMI

At Columbia, it was the system of ramps and the point-fixing of the very light glass structure. We wanted to bring the maximum amount of light into the building itself. But again, movement is what defines space.BERNARD TSCHUMI

Today, the building contains a party space, a diverse offering of meeting, rehearsal, and performance spaces, computer rooms and terminals, student mail services (including 7,000 mailboxes), a two-story restaurant, a cafe, a sky-lit gallery and exhibition space,

and more.

LIVE AT LERNER2011–2012Live music sessions Study breaks LecturesArt exhibitions& more

LIVE AT LERNER is an initiative sponsored by the Office of Student Development and Activities in the Division of Student Affairs at Columbia University. Since 2000, Live at Lerner has been committed to fostering the Columbia community through free or low-cost events of diverse culture and ideas at a center for student life.