Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Buffalo State College: Technology Building

  • 11/01/14
Buffalo State College: Technology Building

PHOTOS © 2014 TIM WILKES PHOTOGRAPHY

SUNY Buffalo State’s new three-story, 87,000-square-foot Technology Building establishes a technology-based educational center, which will be a focal point for industry education and integrated learning. It replaces existing facilities inadequate for high-tech manufacturing research and instruction.

Project architect, The S/L/A/M Collaborative, fulfilled project goals to create a facility that would elevate the visibility of technology on campus, maximize shared teaching spaces, attract and retain faculty, provide shared student resources space and be an incubator for regional industry.

According to school officials, the facility supports Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s innovation agenda through its smart-grid laboratories with cutting edge equipment. “This new asset will better prepare our workforce and train our students for the jobs of tomorrow, while also encouraging innovation and nurturing new businesses right here in Western New York,” Governor Cuomo said in a press statement, when the building officially opened in September 2013.

The facility includes labs for teaching and research, lean production, materials testing, environment and information technologies. It also includes smart classrooms, lecture halls and support spaces. Among the subjects offered are fashion and textile technology, electrical engineering technology, mechanical engineering technology and computer information systems.

The LEED Gold-certified building is a showpiece for technology and a teaching tool for sustainability. It is also a campus hub for the largely commuter-based student body.

Sustainability features include an extensive green roofing system on the lower roof to mitigate stormwater and heat loads; photovoltaic solar panels are mounted on the upper roof to provide renewable energy for a portion of the electrical loads. The long axis of the linear bar building runs east to west, reinforcing Buffalo State’s master plan for a linear pedestrian mall. The linear bar configuration and the building’s orientation allows ample daylighting and exterior access to four high-bay project spaces on the first floor. Additionally, student projects are featured on a digital display that also provides real-time updates on building systems’ performance.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.

  • Barbara Vick Western Branch

    Barbara Vick Western Branch

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Barbara Vick Western Branch has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.