The Finley Student Center creates a place for City College’s 17,000 students to gather, organize, and relax. Entries from both the north and south reflect its location at the center of campus. From the north, a gentle slope leads into a soaring atrium overlooked by the floors above, while from the south, a grand stair leads into the atrium and continues upwards, serving as both circulation and informal seating.  The facade's use of punched windows brings down the scale and relates to the older college buildings to the north, while its light terra cotta tiles reflect both a material of the older buildings and the tiling pattern of the Architecture Building across from the site. Extensive glazing at the ground level puts the building's large game room on display and invites passing students to join in on the fun.  Sustainability is paramount, with passive solar techniques, extensive natural lighting, utilization of waste heat from the adjacent power plant, and renewable and non-toxic materials employed to afford the building the smallest possible impact on its environment.