What's New in Campus Construction 

The ETEC building rises daily at UAlbany's Harriman Campus. (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 6, 2019) – There will be many upgrades on campus this fall, starting with the School of Education moving into the newly renovated Business Administration building.

Along with the gut renovation comes a new name: the building formerly known as Business Administration or Building 27, has been renamed the Catskill Building.

Vice President for Finance & Administration Todd Foreman said, “At any given time, our Facilities Office is tracking hundreds of projects in planning, design or construction with the driving goal of keeping a steady pace of upgrade and renewal. The Catskill Building is a beautifully transformed asset for the University that will well serve the University community.”

The extensive renovation completely modernized the building and sets the standard for future, planned gut renovations around the Podium. The building includes a mix of offices (122), classrooms and instructional spaces (nine), conference rooms, and research and support spaces with heavy use of modern finishes and the creation of lounges and seating areas to provide a more welcoming and interactive environment. Lighting and HVAC systems are designed to achieve high energy efficiency standards with the building on track to achieve LEED Gold.

Educational Policy & Leadership Professor Alan Wagner begins moving into the Catskill Building. (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

The move began last week, with School of Education employees relocating to the renovated space. Mail Services and Rapid Copy also have moved from their temporary trailers into Catskill. The Department of Mathematics and Statistics will move in by next summer into space that is not yet ready for occupancy. Now vacated, the Education Building will be renovated over the coming year, starting in spring 2020, and will now be known as the Taconic Building.

The status of other campus construction projects:

ETEC Construction

The 246,000-square-foot ETEC building on UAlbany land on the Harriman Campus is well underway with a summer 2021 occupancy date. The building construction is on time and on budget.

Schuyler Building Renovation

The Schuyler Building on the Downtown Campus is in phase three of renovation with building entries, masonry repointing, and interior hazmat work scheduled through the 2019-2020 year. Phase four, the phase that will provide occupancy of half the building for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is set to go to construction bid later this fall.

Renovated Residence Halls

The latest residence halls being renovated are Schuyler and Beverwyck Halls on Dutch Quad, which will provide nearly 200 new, energy-efficient, modern spaces for students. Moreover, the kitchen and dining hall on Dutch Quad, decommissioned when the Campus Center was expanded, is being gut renovated to become the new home of the Health and Counseling Center. These health services will relocate back to the campus from leased space in January 2020, prior to the start of the spring 2020 semester.

Podium and Lecture Center Accessibility Upgrades

Starting this fall, the University will be working to extend the existing LC elevator (by LC 27) up to the Podium deck so that those needing an accessible entry to the LCs can do so directly from the promenade level around the Fountain. In addition to this major upgrade, accessibility ramps on the north side of the Podium – and those leading to the promenade level of the Podium deck – will be reconstructed and upgraded. The elevator is expected to be completed by spring 2020 and work on the ramps will continue into late 2020.

Lecture Halls Continue to be Renovated

Phase two of a seven-phase plan to renovate the lecture centers will kick off by summer’s end. LC 1 and LC 2, along with the men’s and women’s restrooms on the east side of the LC concourse, will be gut renovated. This LC work will continue through the year and be completed by next summer. The LC restroom work is scheduled to be finished by April 2020.

Better Lighting, Campus wide

Nearly 8,000 interior and exterior fixtures are being replaced with energy-efficient LED technology, along with motion sensor controls where needed. This work is being done on the Uptown Campus, including the athletics buildings, and on the Downtown Campus. Exterior lighting upgrades will improve lighting in areas previously identified as requiring additional nighttime illumination. The project is nearly complete for building interiors and exterior work will proceed through the Fall semester.

Campus-wide Bathroom Upgrades

Phase two of a four-phase plan to gut renovate 118 restrooms in 15 buildings on the Uptown and Downtown campuses is underway. The renovations provide modernized and accessible spaces, and expand the number of single-use bathrooms.

Designs in Progress

A number of projects are in planning and design, including the phased renovation of the Physical Education Building, renovations to the Earth Sciences Building and to Colonial Quad’s Paine and Zenger buildings, and upgrades to the Campus Center for student recreational and study spaces.

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