Stevens Tech unveils plans for Sixth Street buildings

The Stevens Institute of Technology held two open houses last week for Hudson Street residents and the greater Hoboken community to see plans for a five-story, 95,000 square foot academic facility to be built on the corner of Hudson and Sixth Streets beginning next fall.
The buildings, if approved by the city Planning Board, would house several industry-specific laboratories and smart classrooms. It’s the first phase of a master plan designed to cope with a rapidly expanding student body while maintaining the school’s place at the forefront of technological institutes nationwide.
The buildings, called the Academic Gateway Complex, would be just that, in more ways than one. The building is designed as an avenue for students to experiment and research today’s most pressing areas of science and technology while simultaneously serving as a physical gateway to the Stevens campus.
The buildings would be situated on either side of Sixth Street (which would become a pedestrian walkway) and would be connected via a two-story walkway that bridges the street.
The complex is the first announced component for the school’s strategic master plan. The plan, which began in 2012 and is set to conclude in 2022, is aimed at propelling the university to the top rank of scientific institutes. But to keep company with schools like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Carnegie Mellon University, Stevens must invest in its future, said Provost George Korfiatis in an interview last week.

Competing to be the best

“Right now our entire student body is at about 5,000 students, but in the next seven or eight years we expect it to be at 9,000,” he said. “And our incoming freshman class scored an average 40 points higher on the SAT than last year’s class. We’re attracting the best and the brightest and we need to be able to provide the best possible facilities.”
The two open houses, which were designed to gauge community support for the project as well as open a dialogue about future Stevens development, were well-attended by residents and members of the Stevens community, said Beth McGrath, chief of staff to Nariman Farvardin, the university’s president.

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“We’re attracting the best and the brightest and we need to be able to provide the best possible facilities.” – George Korfiatis
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Plans for the project include an amenity for Hoboken residents, as well. Once Sixth Street is turned into a pedestrian walkway, it will eventually lead to a public patio area next to the school’s Babbio Center, which overlooks Sinatra Drive and the New York City skyline. The patio would be built on top of a parking garage which would expand as part of the strategic plan’s second phase. The patio would be open to the public.
“We’re very proud of this project and we’re very proud to be a partner with Hoboken,” said McGrath, echoing statements made by Farvardin since he took over as president in 2011. “We’re trying to partner with the city in a substantial way and we’re hoping that everyone in Hoboken will be as excited about this project as we are.”
For more information on the Academic Gateway Complex, visit www.stevens.edu/gateway or email gateway@stevens.edu.

Dean DeChiaro may be reached at deand@hudsonreporter.com