Columbia University is set to unveil two new buildings in a campus expansion designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. The new campus, located in the Manhattanville (or West Harlem) neighborhood in New York, is the university’s largest expansion in 100 years. Columbia hopes that the Manhattanville expansion will allow for a greater integration of the university and the New York City community.

Piano, who designed the buildings with “the DNA of West Harlem” in mind, is a world famous architect whose structures can be found in Paris, London, Sydney, and all corners of New York City. He says the design of the buildings, which are mostly glass and feature windows instead of walls, is meant to promote “openness, transparency, and accessibility”, enhancing Columbia’s vision of increased interconnectedness between the university and the community.