Yes, yes and yes thanks to an ambitious effort to further sustainability efforts in New York City and it’s NYC Zero Waste Challenge, an initiative from the NYC Mayor’s Office that encourages waste-generating businesses to strive to reach zero waste to landfill and incineration. The New School, a progressive university with its main campus in New York City, has constructed a 16-story LEED Gold–certified University Center (UC). To date, the center is the only college or university to participate in the the NYC Zero Waste Challenge.

The center first opened in January 2014 and was then one of the most green-friendly academic institutions in the nation. Two years later, the NYC Mayor’s Office invited The New School to participate in its Zero Waste Challenge.

“Achieving the city’s ambitious climate change agenda will require meeting our zero waste goals. The Zero Waste Challenge has proven to be a successful way to highlight effective actions to reduce waste, diverting over 36,000 tons of waste. This should inspire every New Yorker to do their part and commit to sending zero waste to landfill,” said Daniel Zarrilli, senior director for Climate Policy and Programs and Chief Resilience Officer for the Office of the Mayor, in a statement issued when the challenge was first issued.

As part of the challenge, The New School contributed data and other valuable feedback to the city, documenting its experience as a multibuilding campus and the vicissitudes of its various waste streams, according to a post on The University Network blog.

The university has also retrofitted signs on campus disposal receptacles that better identify where recyclables, compostables and materials intended for the landfill should be tossed. Additionally, the university launched a program dubbed “Good As New,” which is a “a reuse and waste reduction initiative that encourages all New School students to donate reusable school supplies and materials at the end of each semester so that these items stay out of landfills and can be used by other students in the future,” according to the school’s website.

In all, the UC enjoys about 360,000 square feet of floor space, which includes classrooms, a cafeteria and a cafe in addition to a 600-student residence hall and a 800-seat auditorium. It boasts smart lighting and climate systems throughout, a cogeneration plant and is topped by a green roof. The university’s investments are also green, as it entirely divested from fossil fuels, which required shedding all related investments, stocks and bonds.

The New School will also deepen its green-themed efforts this-coming May 2018 when the Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School will partner with the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives in hosting the Design, Justice, and Zero Waste Conference and Research Collaborative. The goal of the partnership is to address the impact of production, consumption and waste on environmental justice communities, workers and vulnerable populations.

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Arnhold Hall is home to the university’s jazz school and it will soon house the Mannes College of Music, currently located 70 blocks away in the city’s Upper West Side. Mannes will occupy roughly 39,500 square feet within the building and will use specific materials, colors and graphics to give it a more distinct architectural identity within the shared space. Mannes’ 300 students will enjoy new custom built classrooms, practice rooms and performance spaces all outfitted with state-of-the-art sound technology, as well as enhanced opportunities for collaboration with other New School divisions. As Mannes Prep students as young as four years of age will also be using the new facilities, spaces will be flexible and accommodate a variety of programs and learners.
The renovated facility will also become the new home of The New School for Drama, as well as a unique “glass box” theater on the ground level. This glass-encased venue will allow passersby to catch a glimpse of the performing arts action from the street.

Establishing these new classrooms and practice and performance spaces will require the first through fourth floors of the Arnhold Building to be largely gutted. The top floor will undergo an extensive renovation and upward expansion in the project’s second phase to accommodate an orchestra-sized practice room.

Deborah Berke Partners of New York will develop the building’s interior and furniture, fixtures and equipment program, and crafted the Arnhold Building master plan. Akustiks of South Norwalk, Conn., will serve as the acoustical engineer and Robert Silman Associates of Washington is the structural engineer.

“Everyone at The New School is revved up about the convergence of Mannes moving to Arnhold Hall, the current renovation and exciting future plans for the building, and the coming together of the three performing arts schools into one brand new division: The College of The Performing Arts,” said Richard Kessler, executive dean for performing arts at The New School speaking with DNAinfo New York on Feb. 25. “All of this will allow us to expand opportunities in world class performing arts education and performances, while partnering with the rest of The New School to engage the much broader community [more] than ever before.”

The total cost of renovations and an estimated completion date for the project have not yet been disclosed, though Mannes College of Music is expected to move into its new home by fall 2015.
Following the relocation, the existing Mannes College of Music building will be acquired by the private, PK-8 Manhattan Country School, which is currently based on the city’s Upper East Side. The move to the six-story, nearly 100-year-old building, as well as the subsequent renovation, will nearly double the school’s square footage.

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