Construction Projects Will Create a "Learning Landscape"

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A handful of key construction projects are proposed to begin this spring and summer as the university prepares to undergo a vast physical transformation in keeping with the objectives of UB 2020 and UB's comprehensive physical plan.

The projects will set the stage for significant changes planned over the next 15 years for the environments and facilities of UB's North, South and Downtown campuses, according to James A. (Beau) Willis, interim executive vice president for finance and operations.

"We're beginning the ambitious process of transforming the physical environment and visual character of our three campuses," Willis said. "One of the areas we're focused on is creating high-quality, memorable learning landscapes for our students. This includes classroom spaces and work spaces, as well as public spaces."

The spring and summer projects proposed for the North Campus center on making significant improvements to Founders Plaza at the heart of the academic spine and to the ground levels of Capen, Norton, and Talbert Halls. This opportunity was made possible after the UB libraries relocated from these spaces little-used volumes to a new facility on Rensch Road and by the move of the Center for Computational Research to UB's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

The newly available space along the Talbert-Capen-Norton corridor will be opened up and redesigned as new learning spaces, which will include informal seating areas, cafe-style gathering places, Internet hotspots and group work places.

Work also is slated to begin next week on four interior connecting walkways on the North Campus, in order to bring the walkways into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The walkways connecting the Student Union to Bell Hall, Lockwood Library and Knox Hall and Lockwood to Clemens Hall will be closed for construction April 16 through May 4.

The Founders Plaza project, together with the work proposed for the academic spine buildings, is an example of how UB is rethinking its network of pedestrian spaces, said Robert Shibley, professor of architecture and planning, who is overseeing UB's master-planning process.

"We are taking more interest in the public spaces that connect our classroom and academic units, in recognition that learning happens in much more diverse ways than just in the classroom," Shibley explained. "It happens when you're walking to class, when you're studying in carrels along the spine or when you're having a meal with friends. We're moving away from the single-use conception of learning."

The landscaping and resurfacing of Founders Plaza will improve noticeably its appearance, but this work will be only a small part of the dramatic improvements to come for UB's public spaces under UB's master plan, Shibley said.

Improvements to the North Campus connecting walkways will be done in the spirit of universal design, according to Shibley. "This is not just a legal compliance project, though it is intended to improve access for the physically challenged, to be sure," he said. "Walkway improvements also will support the campus community when one of our students injures a leg or an ankle and still needs to be able to navigate the campus."

Projects on the South Campus also will continue through the summer, with additional work planned for Allen Hall and Acheson Hall.