A growing life sciences district

With strong transit access and a prominent collection of academic institutions and medical centers, Kips Bay is at the forefront of New York City’s burgeoning life sciences industry. To continue the sector’s growth, SOM—in partnership with New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and a broad coalition of stakeholders—led the master plan of Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC) Kips Bay. The project reimagines Hunter College’s Brookdale Campus as an integrated ecosystem for public health, education, and life sciences within a single city block, bringing together more than two million square feet of laboratories, classrooms, offices, public spaces, and healthcare services for the city. 

Advancing this vision, and with support from New York’s Governor and Mayor, SOM’s master plan led to the site’s rezoning and established the groundwork for the project’s initial phases of demolition and construction.

Transforming an entire Manhattan block

The master plan reimagines an entire city block—from 1st Avenue to the FDR Drive, between 25th and 26th Street—by bringing multiple institutions and programs together within a vertical campus.

An expansive public space, SPARC Square, is key to this vision. Opening onto 25th Street and providing the front door to a series of interconnected buildings, SPARC Square stitches the campus into the neighborhood and establishes the development as a vibrant hub for research and education. At almost an acre, it provides a welcoming and engaging shared space for students, employees, patients, visitors, and the general public.

The plan creates a network of green spaces by connecting the gardens at Bellevue Park, Asser Levy Playground, and the community at Waterside plaza. Enhanced bicycle and pedestrian routes, wider sidewalks, and direct access to the Manhattan Waterfront Gateway improve circulation throughout the campus and the surrounding neighborhood.

Several institutions, one connected campus

SPARC Kips Bay is designed to serve a broad consortium of distinct, yet interconnected institutions and programs, while fostering collaboration and community. The project represents a model for partnership between universities and cities to advance mutual goals around investment, workforce, and health services. Strong institutional support and engagement were central to the project’s success, with SOM playing a key role in aligning stakeholders around a shared vision. 

The program includes facilities for more than 60 CUNY degree programs, a new ground-up high school focused on science and health careers, a modern outpatient care facility for NYC Health + Hospitals, a state-of-the-art forensic pathology center for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and flexible laboratory space for life sciences research and industry partnerships.

Integrated infrastructure for resiliency

The campus is designed as part of a broader coastal protection strategy. A new segment of floodwall along 25th Street and the FDR Drive completes a critical link between existing systems at Bellevue Hospital, the VA Medical Center, and the East Side Coastal Resiliency project. Together, these measures strengthen protection against storm surge and sea level rise while supporting the long-term operation of essential public services.