Cornell built a super-high-tech school in New York City that could revolutionize building design — take a look

Cornell tech

Nestled between Manhattan and Queens on New York's Roosevelt Island, a new approach to building design has come to life.

Cornell Tech, a two-million-square foot campus aimed at serving students studying computer science, business, and entrepreneurship, is open for the 2016-2017 academic year.

The buildings will remain in construction until approximately 2043, at which point some 2,000 students and hundreds of faculty and staff will live in energy-efficient buildings designed to heat and cool their inhabitants naturally.

Here's what the school is like up close.

Cornell Tech's main dorm, the tall building pictured in the background below, is the tallest and largest "passive" house in the world, meaning it uses little energy to heat and cool the interior.

Passive houses can use 70 to 90% less energy than traditionally built structures. The dorm will abide by a strict set of energy efficiency requirements established by Germany's Passive House Institute.

The building is the largest energy-efficient dorm in the world.

The interior walls are covered in tape-sealed "jackets" that prevent outside air from coming in. Each window has triple-pane glass that was assembled in Italy and shipped to New York.

Pipes run around the ceiling, continuously emitting heat or AC into the room. Unlike traditional central heating and AC systems, which shut on and off to adjust the temperature, the pipes keep the inside temperature consistent and adjust in real time to save energy.