Fordham University at Lincoln Center

Formerly a barren campus plaza, Fordham University at Lincoln Center is now a verdant and expressive urban campus with vibrant lawn areas, ample seating, expansive open space for programming opportunities. Initially seeking to repair the leaking rooftop plaza, Paul Friedberg encouraged Fordham University to consider a larger picture - the campus’ open space was void of landscape, with little accommodations for students to congregate.

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MPFP retrofitted the rooftop plaza, transforming the campus into the lush open space that it is known as today. To circumnavigate structural and spatial constraints, Friedberg placed trees above columns - although this necessitated retaining walls, it presented an opportunity to include additional benches and seat walls to activate the space and accommodate more people. Additionally, the retaining walls offered an opportunity to display a number of pieces from the University’s sculpture gallery.

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Seeking to link the plaza to the campus interior, Friedberg designed a street-level entry plaza with an exterior elevator that allows access to the rooftop campus plaza. Moving the school’s dining facility out into the plaza into a system of glasshouses, this connectivity between exterior and interior was further strengthened. In place of what was once a barren plaza, a vibrant open space with passive gardens, rolling lawns, and a spatial hierarchy that encouraged students and visitors alike to enjoy the environment.

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