RLAB - NYU Tandon School Of Engineering

Our firm designed the first city-funded Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality lab in the country. The 18,000sf facility is located on the third floor of Building 22 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and is operated by the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. The RLab hosts a variety of tenants and educational programs that perform research and develop VR/AR products.

Previously the floor was occupied by an industrial tenant, and once NYU leased the space, we were tasked with converting it into the RLab. We worked with staff, industry leaders, and experts in the field to develop the program and completed initial test-fits for the conversion. The facility required a large VR/AR studio (2,300sf) that would also provide a greater vertical clearance than was available with the existing ceilings. The large studio was placed at one end of the floor, affording it greater acoustic isolation, and permitting the necessary structural work to be more cost effective. In addition to its vaulted ceilings, this lab was provided with a dedicated control room and other secondary amenities as it is the RLab’s feature space.

A second 600sf VR studio was placed near the entry, at a more central location. Three different clusters of lab/workstations were inserted between the larger program elements while benefiting from the adjacent varying sized meeting and call rooms. Open areas are provided with a carefully designed lighting/power strategy that offers flexibility to the all RLab users. Additionally, two classrooms provide the lab with proper instructional space. One of these classrooms is adjacent to an open pantry area where more informal presentations can be scheduled by staff or occupants. The project was designed to meet LEED Silver standards, and the material palette is simple as it sets a backdrop for research. New MEP systems and AV/IT technology were provided so that the Rlab could function as the preeminent VR/AR facility in NYC.

Our partnership with NYU and the NYC Economic Development Corporation will encourage entrepreneurship and further advance NYC’s leadership and innovation in the AR/VR field.