The Cooper Union School on cooper Square in New York is the new academic building of the 150-year old art school. It was designed by Morphosis Architects and completed in 2009. Internally, the building is conceived as a vehicle to foster collaboration and cross-disciplinary dialogue among the Cooper Union's three schools, previously housed in separate buildings. A vertical piazza - the central space for informal social, intellectual and creative exchange- forms the heart of the structure. An undulating lattice envelopes a 20-foot wide grand stair which ascends four stories from the ground level through the sky-lit central atrium, which itself reaches to the full height of the building. This vertical piazza is the social heart of the building, providing a place for impromptu and planned meetings, student gatherings, lectures, and for the intellectual debate that defines the academic environment.

From the double-high entry lobby, the grand stair ascends four stories to terminate in a glazed double-high student lounge overlooking the city. On the fifth through ninth floors, sky lobbies and meeting places-including a student lounge, seminar rooms, lockers, and seating areas overlooking the cityscape-are organized around the central atrium. Sky bridges span the atrium to create connections between these informal spaces. Further reinforcement of the strategy to create a vibrant intellectual space is provided by the "skip-stop" circulation strategy which allows for both increased physical activity and for more impromptu meeting opportunities. The primary skip-stop elevators, which make stops at the first, fifth and eighth floors, encourage occupants to use the grand stairs and sky bridges. Secondary elevators stop at each floor, both for ADA compliance and for the practical tasks of moving materials, artworks, and equipment.