McKissack served as the General Contractor for the renovation of Columbia University’s Pupin Theory Center on its Morningside campus. The project involved demolition and fit-out of approximately 11,000 sq. ft. on the 8th and 9th floors of Pupin Hall, which features a new iconic interior staircase, new offices, and new instruction and collaboration areas in Columbia’s famed Department of Physics. The project site is in the middle of a bustling academic building. To accommodate continuous student and faculty occupation, McKissack’s staging and logistics created a seamless experience of convenience, free from construction disturbance – even as major renovations took place behind the construction barriers. The work included removal and disposal of existing improvements – gutting the space cleanly and simultaneously transforming and preserving, with new offices, a conference room, a pantry and interactive spaces. The historically significant Rabi Room was preserved and restored to highlight the contributions of its famous former occupant, Polish-born American physicist and Nobel laureate Isador Isaac Rabi, whose discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance is used in magnetic resonance imaging, an important tool for nuclear physics, chemistry and medicine.

A new interior staircase between the 8th and 9th floors – the first staircase adjoining interior program space on Columbia’s campus – connects to existing building steel and was finished with cast-in-place terrazzo, stainless steel and glass railings. An open-plan pantry enabled the preparation, enjoyment and storage of refreshments. It features a new sink, dishwasher, refrigerator and cabinetry, and is accentuated by a built-in terrazzo dining counter that is integral to the interior stair feature. New millwork included restoration of the Rabi Room’s historic furniture and accessories, new upper sashes in existing exterior windows, new trim throughout and creation of storage space in the new pantry for folding chairs that can be used to convert the open collaboration space to an ad hoc classroom setting. Electrical work included a new 2,000 amp distribution panel connected to a new electrical service.