The physical transformation of the Buffalo State campus continues as the university celebrates the groundbreaking of a new $38 million Technology Building beginning at noon. It is the latest capital project that will result in nearly $350 million in new construction and improvements by 2016, including the recently completed $44 million Student Apartment Complex on Grant Street and a $110 million Science and Mathematics Complex, which is currently under construction.
The Technology Building--a three-story, 87,000-square-foot facility--will serve as the new home to the Computer Information Systems (CIS) and Technology departments, which are currently housed in three separate buildings on campus. The Technology Department features popular programs such as electrical and mechanical engineering technology, and fashion and textile technology.
"This new building will offer our students and faculty in the technology fields a place to work and study that is equal to their talents," said Buffalo State president Aaron Podolefsky. "It will facilitate greater collaboration between the people of Buffalo State and our community partners--it will be a home worthy of their visionary pursuits and cutting-edge experiments."
Scheduled for completion in summer 2013, the Technology Building will feature multimedia computer labs and state-of-the-art learning and research space for the School of the Professions. Technology Department shops and labs will be located on the first floor, CIS computer labs will be on the second floor, and fashion and textile technology program space will be housed on the third floor. The building will include one 60-seat lecture hall and one 36-seat classroom, as well as two 24-seat classrooms that can be combined to accommodate 48 students. These rooms will be equipped with smart classroom technology.
"The School of the Professions is excited to break ground on the new Technology Building, which will serve as the academic home for two departments, six undergraduate and three graduate programs, and over a thousand majors," said Kevin Mulcahy, interim dean, School of the Professions. "The new facility will play an important role in preparing 21st century professionals to excel in the region and the world."
The Technology Building will be constructed on the site of the former Buffalo Psychiatric Center laundry and bakery buildings, which were demolished in 2010. The exterior of the new steel-framed building is to be clad in a blend of metal panels, glass curtain wall, and masonry. It was designed by S/L/A/M Collaborative. LPCiminelli is construction manager.
Designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, the Technology Building will incorporate many green features, including an energy-efficient roofing system, high-performance glazing, and photovoltaic panels. The project is rated for LEED silver certification. The LEED rating system, a national benchmark for high-performance green buildings, affirms the design, construction, and operation of a facility to be energy-efficient and environmentally responsible.
This should have been located downtown so students could be closer to companies that are developing technology. What a waste to have all these buildings centrally located and so far away from where business is occurring. I bet the students regret not being closer to downtown and having to take two buses to get to an internship at one of the BNMC technology companies, or some other area business.
What a missed opportunity. There should be protests. /s
Apples and oranges-there could be a quick shuttle between this campus and the BNMC, to connect the two. And, you are buttressing an already-existing campus.
That is a far cry from further diluting three campuses, creating more sprawl and purposefully building a medical-focused institution at a great distance from the growing area hub.
No it shouldn't be located anywhere but on the Buffalo State campus. Buffalo State has remained true to the city while UB all but abandoned us to build the sprawltropolis in Amherst.
A city campus is always better than an isolated suburban barracks like we see at UB. Buffalo State students contribute to the urban experience and that is what college students should do.