Buffalo State College's new $110 million Science and Mathematics Complex is taking shape. The new building designed by Cannon-- a 224,000 sq.ft. facility over three levels-- will be home to the Chemistry, Biology, Earth Sciences and Science Education, Mathematics, and Physics departments, the Great Lakes Center, and a state-of-the-art planetarium.
Phase I of the project seen here, scheduled for completion this summer, includes a 96,000 sq.ft. addition along the west side of the existing Science Building that will house new teaching and research labs, faculty offices, and instrumentation rooms.
Phase II, to be completed in 2015, will include demolition of the Science Building's south wing, a full renovation of the north wing, and construction of a second addition along the south side of the building, which will house a greenhouse for the Biology Department.
The new planetarium, designed to appear as a large, glowing sphere housed in a transparent framework, will define the complex's main entrance. An impressive three-story sky-lighted atrium that will be the main route through the complex. Upper-level balconies and bridges will open to the atrium, offering spaces for conversations and collaboration as well as quiet study.
The complex will be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and will incorporate many environmentally friendly features, including storm-water collection and treatment, use of recycled materials, water-conserving fixtures, and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. The project is expected to qualify for Gold Certification, which affirms the design and operation of the facility to be energy-efficient and environmentally responsible. The LEED rating system is a national benchmark for high-performance green buildings.
New materials, structural and mechanical technologies. Same cold, impersonal, lifeless behemoth institutional buildings we've been constructing since the 1960s.
You are kidding, right, Townline? This appears to be a rather flashy new building on the Buffalo State campus--something it clearly lacks. I'm sorry if the building is new construction rather than something from Buffalo's Glory Days.
Townline is one of those guys who short circuits if anything is built or proposed with architecture that is post-1901.
You forgot that it looks like it belongs in Amherst.
Does anyone believe that there's any role for thoughtfully-designed modern architecture in Buffalo, or should everything i the city limits look like it was built before 1929?
Considering the downvotes, probably not.