The new arts center was unveiled on February 3, 2010. Winner of a national design competition and Progressive Architecture Award, the project establishes a new nexus for social, cultural and intellectual life at Barnard. Located on Broadway, the Diana Center unites landscape and architecture, interior and exterior in a seven-story building with ascending double-height glass atria and an unfolded glazed staircase that brings in natural light and eliminates visual boundaries between the college and the city. Carving a diagonal void through the building, the slipped atria create views through diverse program spaces and visually connect Lehman Lawn to the upper floors of the building and the green roof. The green roof offers a living ecological learning center for students, as well as an ideal outdoor green space.
The façade, made of 1,154 clear and color integral glass panels, translates the brick and terra cotta of the surrounding neighborhood into a luminous, energy-efficient exterior.
Designed to achieve LEED-Silver certification, the $70 million Diana Center features the dynamic layering of functions including a black box theater, a 500-seat performance/multiuse space, a cafe, a dining room, a library, classrooms, and exhibition galleries.
