Campus Master Plan

This report summarizes the final recommended plan for the 2013-2023 Campus Master Plan for the University at Buffalo. It builds on the findings of the previous four phases of study and expresses in physical form the campus’s desired academic and strategic mission.

Introduction

Scope of the Campus Master Plan

RTKL, and its team of consultants, was retained by The State University Construction Fund [SUCF] to conduct a Facilities Master Plan [FMP] for The University at Buffalo’s 1,346-acres which spread across three campuses: North, South, and Downtown. The FMP study was initiated in November of 2010 and began with the aggregation and synthesis of hundreds of university-owned documents, the majority of which were related to the 2009 UB2020 Comprehensive Plan (now known as Top 25 Ambition). This process was helpful in gaining a full comprehension of the University in terms of academics, facilities, community and culture.

The documentation for the University at Buffalo Facilities Master Plan 2013 – 2023 consists of five phases:

Phase I - Campus Profile
Phase II - Assessment of Conditions
Phase III - Analysis of Space Needs
Phase IV - Facilities Master Plan Concept Alternatives
Phase V - Facilities Master Plan Final Recommendations

The intent of the Campus Master Plan is to provide guidelines for future campus improvements and developments that support the University at Buffalo’s academic mission and strategic vision. The plan will identify opportunities to enhance, maintain, or improve the built environment in a way that facilitates learning and student development. It will seek to maintain the principles and longer term goals of the UB2020 Comprehensive Plan, which are described later in this section. The Campus Master Plan will consider current and future University program uses to identify strategies for demolition, rehabilitation, modernization, conversion, expansion, and new construction. It will guide the University and SUCF in identifying, prioritizing, and structuring future project requests for capital funding and will address the projected capital facilities improvement needs for the period of 2013-2023.

Goals of the Facilities Master Plan

The primary goal of this Campus Master Plan is to develop and articulate the capital solutions for the period 2013 - 2023 that support the next phase of UB 2020 development. Initiatives established by the Plan will achieve the following

• Enable strategic academic improvements
• Improve campus life
• Achieve economic impact
• Remedy space needs and building infrastructure deficiencies
• Beautify the public realm

President's Message
12/15/21
Read University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi's remarks on the Facilities Master Plan 2013 -2023.
Summary Findings
12/15/21
The University at Buffalo has evolved significantly from its inception in 1846, with an initial founding focus of the University as a medical school, to the present day research intensive public university that is a flagship institution of the State University of New York system. It is now the largest and most comprehensive campus in the 64 campus SUNY system.
Master Plan Common Themes
12/15/21
Get an overview of common themes and elements of the Facilities Master Plan that are common to the three campuses of the University at Buffalo.
Downtown Campus: Partnering
12/22/21
The future of the Downtown Campus hinges upon the migration of UB’s health sciences schools from South Campus to downtown.
South Campus: The Professional Campus
12/15/21
From Main Street, UB’s South Campus presents a postcard view of the quintessential American university campus with historical buildings in a pristine landscape.
North Campus: Activating the Core
12/15/21
More than 40 years ago, the coalition of University of Buffalo, SUNY, and New York State government officials came together to envision a “University of the 21st Century” in rural Amherst.
Implementation Strategy
12/15/21
The implementation strategy for the UB Facilities Master Plan is guided by the overall vision for its three campuses: The Downtown Campus as a Medical School the South Campus as a Professional Education Campus for the schools of Social Work, Architecture, Law and the North Campus for Engineering and the Arts.
Conclusion
12/22/21
This Facilities Master Plan 2013 through 2023 has developed strategies that acknowledge the work of UB's Top 25 Ambition and has as its starting point the goals and vision described in the “Building UB” comprehensive master plan. The university sees UB's Top 25 Ambition initiative as much more than a strategic planning process.
Appendix A - C
12/15/21
Review the appendix material for the final recommendations for the Facilities Master Plan.