UB’s historic building boom

UB is embarking on one of the most significant periods of campus development in its history, with $1.64 billion in construction planned over the next decade.

UB will see classrooms modernized for today’s students and new buildings for university-wide growth in engineering, interdisciplinary research and artificial intelligence research and education.

The building boom will include a new home for one of UB’s literary treasures, new library spaces for students and a supercomputing center for the pioneering work of the state’s Empire AI consortium. 

A major makeover is in store for the Cooke-Hochstetter science complex on the North Campus and the health sciences complex on the South Campus. Lockwood Library will be reimagined.

Last fall, UB reached a milestone when it welcomed 154 new full-time faculty to campus in what was one of the largest cohorts of new faculty to the university since joining SUNY in the 1960s.

This fall, UB has its sights set on a significant transformation of the university’s physical infrastructure.

Sites and start dates for future construction are being finalized, but a new website was launched in September to keep the university community informed of the progress. 

“As the physical manifestation of UB’s emergence as a premier public research university, our campus master plan is integral to our mission of excellence,” President Satish K. Tripathi says. “The significant additions to our living-learning environment and the striking renovations taking place across our campuses will profoundly impact our scholarly community, enhancing our students’ educational experience, the research we conduct and our engagement with the communities we serve.

“As we embark on this exciting period of transformation, I would like to acknowledge Gov. Kathy Hochul, U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy and the entire Western New York state delegation for their enduring support of UB.”

A. Scott Weber, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, notes that UB “needs to continually invest in state-of-the-art research and educational facilities to attract world-class faculty and outstanding students to our campuses.”

“In addition,” Weber says, “we know that informal learning and gathering spaces across the university facilitate collaborations and make UB more comfortable and welcoming for students, faculty and staff.”

Work already underway includes the renovation of a new home for the Graduate School of Education on the South Campus; major enhancements to the Student Union and the redesign of a North Campus residence hall to give the Ellicott Complex a new “front door.”

Recently completed projects include the Brittany Murchie Mulla Sports Performance Center and a new second-floor entryway to Silverman Library.

“Whether it’s restoring some of our historic buildings for the next generation or adding several new ones to the campus landscape, the work planned at UB over the next 10 years will position the university well into the future,” says Laura E. Hubbard, vice president for finance and administration. “By the time this period of construction is completed, it will have a transformational effect on our campuses, further advancing UB into the ranks of the nation’s leading public research universities.”  

Signature projects include:        

• A new engineering building. Rising in the ranks and in enrollment, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences will break ground on the North Campus for Russell L. Agrusa Hall, supported by a $40 million gift from Agrusa, a UB alumnus, and funding from New York State.
• A new interdisciplinary research building. Also slated for the North Campus, this new facility, collocated with the AI & Society Building, will provide flexible, modern laboratories to foster greater collaboration among UB scientists and help meet the state’s goal of doubling research expenditures.
• Empire AI. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced UB as the home of the state’s new public-private Empire AI consortium and a powerful AI supercomputing center to be constructed on the North Campus. AI research, facilitated by the supercomputing center, will focus on tackling societal challenges — from climate change and world hunger to health disparities and access to education — pushing New York State to the forefront of the AI revolution.
• AI & Society Building. Designed to be a hub for multidisciplinary research that harnesses the power of AI for the public good, this new facility, collocated with the interdisciplinary research building, will feature computer labs, offices, conference rooms and incubator space for startups.
• The new James Joyce Museum. With funding from New York State, UB will build a new home in Abbott Library on the South Campus for the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of materials by and related to the author and poet.
• Foster Hall. In August 2022, renovations began on Foster Hall. Once completed, it will be home to the Graduate School of Education as part of the school’s move to the South Campus — a move that will enable GSE to further its collaborations with community partners, with the aim of improving education outcomes.

Also on the South Campus, Clark Hall — long a home for athletics at UB — will be renovated for student wellness and recreation, while Parker Hall would undergo renovations to serve as the new home for the School of Social Work and update the fabrication shops and studios for the School of Architecture and Planning.

All of these renovation projects address deferred maintenance and introduce more clean energy sources to the campuses. During this period of construction, UB has also allocated more than $25 million annually for other critical maintenance needs, such as roads, sidewalks, roofs, classrooms and utilities infrastructure.

These projects are in addition to major projects completed over the past five to 10 years as part of UB’s master physical plan. This includes the award-winning One World Café; renovation of the Goodyear and Clements residence halls on the South Campus; new dental clinic space in Squire Hall; new startup and incubator space for students and entrepreneurs; new and renovated classroom and learning landscapes in the Natural Sciences Complex; and a new building in downtown Buffalo for the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.