Palisades, N.Y.
Columbia University has completed the preliminary design phase of its $45-million Earth Observatory on the Lamont-Doherty campus in Palisades, N.Y. The two-story, 63,000-sf facility will consolidate the geochemistry department of the university's Earth Institute and will house over 30 state-of-the-art sustainably designed laboratories and more than 70 offices. Designed by Payette Associates, the facility is expected to break ground in November 2006 and reach initial occupancy in November 2007.