Plans Already Drawn for Technology Center Albany — New facility would include space for research, training Reprinted with permission of the Times Union, Albany, N.Y. By JEAN DerGURAHIAN Business writer, Times Union The State University at Albany displayed a newly designed $300 million, 300mm wafer facility even as state officials announced $150 million in funding for the project. The complex, to adjoin the existing 75,000-square-foot Center for Environmental Sciences and Technology Management on Fuller Road, would include two new buildings. A 155,000-square-foot structure would house research and development and work-force training, including a 35,000-square-foot "clean room;" it will be connected by a bridge to the other, a 123,000-square-foot business incubator and classroom facility. Construction costs are estimated at $75 million. At a news conference Monday, Gov. George Pataki announced $50 million in state funding to go toward building the complex. IBM Corp. also pledged $100 million to cover equipment and support costs for the new facility. UAlbany said it already has other federal, state and private funding to complete the project. The buildings are slightly bigger than previously announced, and the university made some design changes to add more flexibility, said Thomas Yurkewecz, director of programs at CESTM. Higher ceilings and added clean-room capabilities will expand the life of the complex. "You're not looking five years out in usage; you're looking at 20 years usage," he said. UAlbany is completing the state environmental quality review process, which it needs to obtain permits to begin construction. The new buildings will be west of CESTM. Yurkewecz said the university made an initial assessment of the project's potential impact, but the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has to conduct an archaeological dig on the site to determine if any historical resources would be affected by the new facility. The office reviews and evaluates cultural resources at each site identified for construction, according to the state agency's Web site. If some resource exists, the office will retrieve the data. Aspokesman in the Parks office said he could not determine a timeline for the CESTM project because each dig varies according to the magnitude of impact. A dig has not begun yet. Yurkewecz said he is confident the dig will proceed quickly. The Troy architectural firm Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. designed the new complex.