Ramapo College of New Jersey - Adler Center

The new Adler Center for Nursing Excellence provides a state-of-the-art teaching and

research facility for Ramapo College’s growing School of Nursing. Prominently sited

at the terminus of the main campus entry, the building and surrounding landscape act

as a threshold, ushering students and visitors through the vibrant campus grounds.

Responding to Mitchell Giurgola’s bold architecture, the landscape includes a structured

grove, planted stairs and an adaptive plant palette.

The grand stair connects the entry drop-off with the larger campus. This arrival gateway

serves as a transitional space, while also addressing a natural grade change. It further

provides an area for interdisciplinary outdoor learning and a place for students to

connect to nature.

Benches and seating nooks off of the grand stair offer dramatic vistas of the surrounding

hillside. With two-story high glass walls, the Center’s lobby and interior stair are

linked, merging indoor and outdoor activities. A grove of seasonal trees engages the

surrounding landscape, frames the seating area, and strengthens the connection to the

campus beyond.

The Adler Center addition also creates a new upper courtyard, featuring two monumental

sculptures by American artist Ned Smyth. The dynamic sculptures create dramatic tension

between the immediate pedestrian activity and the framed portal to the countryside

vista. Native plant materials and paving materials connect the new landscape to the

existing campus, creating a cohesive landscape plan.

Location
Ramapo, NJ

Size
136,000 SF

Completion
2015

Collaborators
Mitchell Giurgola Architects

Recognition
2016 Engineering News - Record NY Best Project