Diller Scofidio + Renfro have just released renderings for a new 14-story medical and graduate education facility for Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Located on an existing Columbia University property between 171st Street and 172nd Street in upper Manhattan, the structure will serve all four schools within the Medical Center system. The new building, designed in collaboration with Gensler, will house 100,000 square feet of program, including classrooms, collaboration spaces, a simulation center, an auditorium, and a café. These spaces will be connected by a unifying, full-height, circulation core the architects have dubbed the “Study Cascade,” so-named for its generous landings that also provide spaces for social interaction and quiet study. The southern façade alternates glass-enclosed rooms and open-air terraces along the full height of the building, providing an intermingling of educational and social spaces. Construction will begin in early 2013, with plans to meet LEED Gold standards. With an estimated construction time of 42 months, the tower is expected to open in 2017.