Reservation Requests
Please review the room types and the policies listed below prior to submitting your reservation request. Reservations are placed using the University Scheduling System Event Form. Each space is defined by a location code and multiple locations can be requested within each Event Request Form.
Duffield Hall Location Codes
- DUFWKDYTBN: Duffield Atria Workday Table North
- DUFWKDYTBW: Duffield Atria Workday Table West
- DUFATR: Duffield Atria
- DUFXPLZ: Lacroute Plaza
- DUF254: The Staley Seminar Room (254)
- DUF354: McCurdy Seminar Room (354)
- DUF340: Young Colloquium Room (340)
- DUF304: Interaction Space
Policies
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Reservation Policies
Events may be held between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., seven days a week and can be booked no more than one year in advance. Events that include food or occur outside of the regular work hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. must be scheduled at least eight weeks in advance, and all forms must be completed at least six weeks in advance. No more than one atria event will be scheduled per day and no more than three atrium events per week to limit the time required by support personnel. The furniture that is used in the normal configuration of Duffield Hall is available for use.
While reservations are on a first come, first served basis, priority will be given in the following order: College of Engineering Administration and Student Services, Engineering departments, other Cornell departments, Cornell-affiliated groups sponsored by a Cornell department and Cornell student organizations. Any group to be bumped by a higher priority user will be notified as soon as we are aware of their request.
According to New York State’s Alcohol Beverage Law, it is illegal to serve alcoholic beverages to anyone under the age of 21 years. Groups reserving Duffield Hall are responsible for observing and enforcing this law and all other policies associated with campus events. Food and beverages may be served in the Duffield Hall atrium, on Lacroute Plaza, and in the second, and third floor conference rooms. Eating or drinking is not permitted in the elevators or lab areas. Smoking is not permitted anywhere in Duffield Hall.
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Catering Policies
Only professional caterers and equipment / furniture rental companies pre-approved by Cornell University may be used. The university has a process for approving events that must be followed. Please go to Student and Campus Life: Campus Activities for event information and procedures for the University Event Registration Form. List of approved caterers. No personal or self-catering by event participants will be allowed.
All caterers accepted into Duffield Hall must have liability insurance coverage up to $1,000,000, must have Cornell University listed by name on their policy, and must have the appropriate health licenses. Copies of this documentation must be on file with Cornell’s Risk Management office. Please contact Cornell Risk Management for full details: 607-254-1575, risk_mgmt@cornell.edu.
Please forward all event documents to the Duffield Hall Events Coordinator at duffield_reserva@cornell.edu.
All arrangements with caterers are the responsibility of the Event Planner, who will keep the Duffield Hall Events Coordinator informed of the caterer’s arrival time and other event requirements. Duffield Hall provides no dining ware, utensils, or other provisions for food service; contact Cornell Dining at dining@cornell.edu for information on access to food preparation areas.
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Audio-Visual Policies
Audio-visual, video conferencing, and other communications technology capabilities are available for use under the responsibility of the Duffield Events Coordinator.
The Young Colloquium Room has a rear projection SMART Board capable of displaying from a user provided laptop or from a built-in networked computer with USB access and wireless keyboard and mouse. The Smart Board provides a high level of interaction and electronic capture of meeting notes and annotations among other features. The colloquium room also has video conferencing and DVD/VCR capability. Both seminar rooms have computer projection capability. A video conferencing system and DVD/VCR player are also available in the McCurdy Seminar Room.
We have instituted the following guidelines regarding noise and music for Duffield Hall events:
- No amplified music in the atrium between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
- Music setup must be approved; the preferred direction for music in the Baum Atrium is away from Upson Hall.
- Event Planners for events with amplified sound or expected high sound levels are responsible for keeping the doors between Duffield and Upson Hall closed during their event; this includes the Upson Hall first floor doors.
- No other audio-visual equipment is provided.
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Safety at Duffield Hall
All fire and general security procedures must be followed. If an emergency occurs, notify responders via a Cornell emergency phone, by dialing 911 on a personal cell phone, utilizing a fire pull box, or other means. If a fire or gas alarm activates, you must leave the building immediately. In these situations the elevators will not be available and guests will use the stairs. University security or emergency personnel will take charge of all evacuation procedures during this period.
Event Planners have overall responsibility for event safety and are required to follow university safety policies. The Event Planners and any contracted service provider (for example, the caterer) shall follow the requirements and guidelines which discuss general event safety and contact information.
Additional building specific event safety limitations must be followed including the placement of outdoor cooking equipment and propane tanks and special limitations for where food can be staged and furniture placed so as to not block room and building exit paths. These must be specifically discussed and approved by the building manager or Cornell Environmental Health and Safety before the event.
If more clarification is needed please contact duffield_reserva@cornell.edu.
About Duffield Hall
Duffield Hall, named for Cornell Engineering alumnus David Duffield ’62 EE, is one of the country’s most sophisticated research and teaching facilities for nanoscale science and engineering. It supports research and instruction in advanced materials processing and electronic, photonic, microelectromechanical, and biotechnology devices. The facility allows the university to bring together many of the various nanotechnology and materials-development groups that previously worked independently in various parts of the campus. It includes a large atrium that provides a space where faculty and students can interact in a relaxed, attractive environment, particularly during the winter months.
The facility is also home to the Cornell Nanoscale Science and Technology Facility (CNF) in Knight Laboratory, the PARADIM labs, and portions of the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR).
Construction began on Duffield Hall in June 2001 and was completed in Fall 2004. Cornell Engineering alumnus David Duffield ’62 EE, co-founder and chairman of Workday, Inc., of Pleasanton, California, provided the major funding for the facility, and the building was named in his honor in recognition of this support. Significant support was also provided by Dwight C. Baum ’36, the Lester B. Knight ’29 Trust, The LaCroute family, David Welch PhD, Frederick Young ’62, Douglas Leone ’81, Kenneth Goldman ’72, C. Jay Abbe ’63, John Swanson ’61, Charles F. Knight ’57, several other alumni, the Lucent corporation, and a group of anonymous donors.
Research labs, teaching labs, and offices constitute the primary allocation of space in Duffield Hall while the facility also includes four large atria and a variety of rooms for conferences, seminars, and colloquia. Although some spaces are restricted for use by Duffield Hall occupants, others are available for use by a wider range of Cornell University departments and affiliated groups.
Duffield Hall Room Types
Duffield Hall offers a variety of spaces. Some areas can be combined to accommodate a wide range of events. Please consult the room menu for additional details on each space.
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Frederick Young Colloquium Room
This conference room overlooks the Engineering Quad and offers panoramic views of West Hill. Best for smaller groups up to 24 for conference and seminar set-up. This space can only be reserved by faculty, staff, research students and business groups. We cannot accommodate reservations for office hours or classroom related activities.
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Four Duffield Atrium Areas
The Duffield Hall atria are often used for poster sessions, banquets and large meetings for 25 – 650 people (excluding Duffield furniture set-up).
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LaCroute Plaza
This outdoor terrace can accommodate up to 600 in address set-up and up to 176 in banquet set-up. This space is automatically reserved when reserving the atrium, unless otherwise noted.
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The Staley (254) and McCurdy (354) seminar rooms
The rooms are semi-private spaces for use by individuals and groups affiliated with Duffield Hall. Capacity of each room is up to 20 (14 around table, 6 at periphery, plus others that can be brought in). This space can only be reserved by faculty, staff, research students and business groups. We cannot accommodate reservations for office hours or classroom related activities.
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The Interaction Space
The Interaction Space is located on the 3rd floor at the north end of the building. It is an open area overlooking the atrium and Campus Road. The space can accommodate seating for up to 24 people comfortably. The space is open and conversation can be heard from the adjoining hallway.
Four Duffield Hall Atrium Areas
The four Duffield Hall Atrium areas are available to the Cornell community and affiliated groups for a wide variety of uses. The fees and policies associated with rentals are outlined below.
Current building furniture for atria dining provides seating for up to 70 depending on area reserved; anything else must be brought in. Wireless network access is available throughout the atrium areas. Please consult the Duffield Hall Events Coordinator at 607-255-6831 for questions regarding access/temporary storage, audio and visual, layout, total capacity, furniture movement, and combined usage.
| Room | Sq Ft | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight C. Baum Atrium (south) | 372 | Address, 175 Banquet, 88 Poster Session, 10 tables |
| Work Day Atrium (center) | 1527 | Address, 52 Banquet, 16 Poster Session, 1 partition 2 tables |
| John Swanson Atrium (north) | 3359 | Address, 150 Banquet, 80 Poster Session, 8 tables |
| Goldman Lounge | 621 | Four 8-ft tables seating 32 |
| Work Day Table (West) | 36 | One 6-ft table Located next to center elevator under bridges |
| Work Day Table (North) | 36 | One 6-ft table Located at the foot of the stairs leading up to Campus Road |
Frederick Young Colloquium Room
Typical acceptable activities in the Frederick Young Colloquium Room (room 340) include receptions, small dinners, meetings, presentations, audio conferences, discussions, training, and portable computer use. Not allowed are classes, TA hours, and hands-on activities such as experiments, use of chemicals, heat sources, and artwork/crafts. Food and beverages are allowed. A dedicated kitchen area with both outside and inside entrances can be used to stage food and/or beverages. The Colloquium Room may be requested by submitting the online 25Live Event Request Form; for questions, e-mail duffield_reserva@cornell.edu or call the Duffield Hall Events Coordinator at 607-255-5668.
To get access to this room, card access will be granted to users of the space by the Duffield Hall Events Coordinator. Due to the hard wiring needed to operate the overhead projection system, the tables can not be easily moved. Do not move any of the furniture in this room unless you make arrangements ahead of time with the Duffield Hall Events Coordinator. You are responsible for resetting all furniture to the original layout. Contact the Duffield Hall Events Coordinator to review your responsibilities in this regard if you are planning any arrangement other than joined conference tables and chairs.
Lacroute Plaza
In addition to indoor space, there is a plaza off of the Baum Atrium west side that can be reserved for events, either alone, or in combination with the Baum atrium. It has 3 tiers stepping down as you move away from the building. The larger tier nearest to the building is concrete and the other two are grass. Not including walkways by the building and on either side, the concrete tier is approximately 34 ft. x 34 ft. and each grass tier is approximately 34 ft. x 15 ft. A tent can be located on the concrete tier but space must be allowed between the building, walks, and the tent for emergency access and it must be tied off to barrels (no stakes in concrete are allowed). Plaza configurations and capacities are summarized below.
With a total of 2176 square feet, Lacroute Plaza can accommodate up to 600 participants using all three tiers in address set-up. In banquet set-up, the capacity is 88 on the concrete tier and 44 on each of the grass tiers.
There is no contingency for bad weather provided; you should consider obtaining alternate space such as also renting atrium space. There are 9 tables with 4 chairs each, plus two benches located in the Lacroute Plaza area. You are responsible for restoring any furniture that is moved to its original setup. Please consult the Duffield Hall Events Coordinator at 607-255-5668 concerning special arrangements regarding access for bringing in tents/chairs/tables/etc., access to restrooms and other building facilities during your event, as well as for questions regarding layout, total capacity, and combined usage.
Seminar Rooms
The Robert Staley (room 254) and the McCurdy (room 354) seminar rooms are reserved for use by people and groups affiliated with Duffield Hall and activities they sponsor. Typical acceptable activities include meetings, presentations, audio conferences, discussions, training, and portable computer use. Not allowed are classes, non-Duffield occupant TA hours, or hands-on activities such as experiments, use of chemicals, heat sources, artwork/crafts, singing, and dancing. Food and beverages are allowed. A graduate office break area just outside the seminar room can be used to stage the food or beverages only if this will not disrupt those in the neighboring graduate student offices. Food delivery and catering personnel must be supervised by the Event Planner at all times to insure this requirement is met.
These rooms may be reserved and scheduled by completing a University Scheduling System Event Form. Any additional questions or concerns, please contact the Duffield Hall Events Coordinator at 607-255-5668.
Each room can accommodate a maximum of 24 participants: 14 at the conference table and 10 on the periphery (requires additional chairs).
Generally the Cornell affiliated person making the reservation will have access to these rooms, but if necessary they can make additional access arrangements ahead of time with the Duffield Hall Events Coordinator. In consideration of the nearby office occupants who share an entrance with a Seminar Room, do not prop open the corridor door when unattended or when the Seminar Room door is closed. These rooms are available to non-Graduate office occupants Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You are responsible for restoring any furniture de-coupling and movement. Contact the Duffield Hall Events Coordinator to review your responsibilities in this regard if you are planning any arrangement other than joined conference tables and chairs.