Columbia’s new nursing facility seeks ‘iconic identity’

Columbia University School of Nursing’s new, light-filled glass building in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood is a stark contrast to the prewar brick buildings and the converted dormitory that has acted as the school’s headquarters for the past 33 years.The $85 million facility will open for classes this fall with 12 high-tech simulation rooms, allowing nurses to practice in a range of realistic care settings before going out into the field.”The need and want was for a building that would actually create an iconic identity for the nursing school on the Columbia Medical Center campus, which they don’t have now,” said Nicholas Garrison, a partner at Manhattan architecture firm FXFOWLE Architects, which partnered with CO Architects in Los Angeles to design the new space.