NYCEDC Plans Kips Bay Education and Innovation Hub

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is planning to create a vibrant destination for education, research, and innovation in Kips Bay that is supported by $1.6 billion in state and city funding. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is the master planner for the Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC), a first-of-its-kind learning and training center that will offer up to two million sf of academic, public health, and life science space. Representing an investment of $950 million, the first phase of construction includes the transformation of Hunter College’s Brookdale Campus to accommodate a sustainable new building designed by Ennead Architects and Dattner Architects. The 700,000-gsf structure will provide clinical classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative areas that will be shared by Hunter College’s School of Nursing, the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and a STEM-focused public high school.

The campus will also feature wet lab R&D space and leasable commercial offices, as well as ambulatory care services, a simulation training hub for NYC Health + Hospitals, and a new forensic pathology center for the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner. More than 1.5 acres of public improvements will deliver an ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge, resiliency infrastructure, and community and retail venues. The implementation of circular construction methodologies will reduce carbon emissions. By establishing pipelines between universities, the life science industry, public health agencies, and healthcare partners, the transformational project will drive economic growth and further the LifeSci NYC Initiative, which aims to create 10 million sf of wet lab space in the city by 2030. 

JLP+D is acting as market analysis and development consultant, as well as advising on funding and financing strategies. As construction manager for SPARC’s first phase, Skanska USA anticipates beginning deconstruction work on Hunter’s Brookdale Campus by the end of 2025. Completion is expected in 2031.