New York University, College of Dentistry, David B. Kriser Dental Center

New York University’s David B. Kriser Dental Center comprises two adjoining buildings: Weissman, a former industrial building that was occupied by the school in 1957; and the Schwartz Building, built as a dental school and completed in 1981. The existing facility houses the largest dental school in the nation. More than 1,500 students, 700 faculty members and 1,200 patients use the center daily.
The architect created a more open, airy and well-lighted environment to accommodate multiple uses. This entailed not only modernizing existing facilities, but also creating new spaces, such as centers for aesthetic dentistry and clinical research, a 191-seat pre-clinical lab that doubles as a 297-seat lecture hall; a 126-seat simulation lab; patient clinics; computer labs; a library; cafeteria and a dental store. The master plan called for the reorganization of 565 operatories, each of which contains a waiting room, offices, X-ray and darkroom facilities, and a seminar room. New facilities incorporated 26 dental and surgical operatories, a 53-seat multimedia teleconferencing lecture hall and four dental labs.
The project required intricate phasing and construction of swing spaces to accommodate administrative and support functions during renovations. The architect also redesigned the school’s entrance to create a welcoming street identity.

Additional Information

Other projects from this professional

New York University, Jerome S. Coles Sports and Recreation Center Natatorium

The original Jerome S. Coles Recreation Center for New York University (NYU),...

Fordham University, St. John’s Residence Hall

Queens Court Dormitory is an interconnected complex of three buildings at the...