A Gateway Center for Teaching English as a Foreign Language has appeared near the eastern entrance to the campus in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York. The building consists of a transparent entrance pavilion with a lobby and a visitor center in the middle, and two wings extending from it, where classrooms and teachers' offices are located. The geometry of the volumes and the angle of rotation of the buildings were determined by the relief of the site: the architecture is maximally integrated into the landscape in order to reduce the degree of interference in the environment and preserve the open space around the building rich in vegetation.
The wings of the hull cover a green courtyard, which is accentuated by an illuminated slender tower. Contrasted with the all-glass atrium of the entrance pavilion, the wing finishes combine modern materials with traditional materials reminiscent of the rest of the campus. Thus, local natural stone was used for facing the facades. In addition, in the northern wing over the base, the volumes of auditoriums and offices, sheathed with zinc sheets, hang over the base. The southern façade of this wing, facing the courtyard, is fully glazed and closed with a special system of mechanical shutters that let in sunlight and protect the premises from overheating.
Ennead Architects has received a LEED Gold Certification with 30% less energy consumption per year and water savings, including through low-pressure taps (which saves up to 30% water) and local planting that does not require watering … The building is given priority to natural ventilation, and the ventilation system depends on constant measurements of carbon dioxide.
The architecture of the entrance pavilion with a transparent "gate" to the campus, according to the authors, reflects the college's commitment to affordable education for a wide international community of students, including recent immigrants. All conditions have been created here to help foreigners quickly integrate into American culture and find work. The building, in particular, houses the Center for work with foreign students.
