​​Barnard College is transforming Altschul Hall into the Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Center, a modern research and teaching facility that will provide community space to engage the broader Morningside Heights and Harlem communities with the sciences. The College will reimagine the R&D Sci-Center through a renovation of the existing spaces, an expansion northward, and an interconnection into and onto Milbank Hall. The restacking and expansion of the building will provide additional space for the Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Physics & Astronomy departments, as well as establish new space for the Neuroscience & Behavior and Computer Science departments. 

To date, the College has raised more than $220 million to support the $240 million renovation and has raised an additional $35 million for programming.

The building is currently 118,000 square feet (sf), with programmable science space occupying 46,500 sf. By devoting the renovated building entirely to science, eliminating nonscience classrooms and lecture spaces, and expanding on the north and east sides, the building size will grow to 175,000 sf, with programmable space reaching 99,000 sf—effectively doubling its current space for the sciences.

The building’s design will convey a sense of inclusivity—not only to women on the Barnard campus but to members of our local community. We will welcome students and community members into an open, inviting space that will host community science programs. In this highly visible location, we will create a place that fosters collaboration, encourages community interactions, and showcases key programs.

This renovation will work toward the College’s sustainability and climate change commitments to lower emissions through upgrades to the mechanical plant, including potential electrification and/or energy generation for the Roy and Diana Science Center, as well as the additional buildings serviced by the plant. 

The project is currently in the design phase, which is scheduled to be completed this spring, with the main construction work preliminarily scheduled to begin in 2023 and be completed in 2025.