Members of the UB community are invited to explore the design and development of the university’s new Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences building with a key member of the team that designed the state-of-the-art facility.

Kenneth Drucker, design principal for HOK’s New York and Philadelphia practices, will deliver a free talk from 6-7:30 p.m. Jan. 31 in 403 Hayes Hall on UB’s South Campus. The event is being organized by the School of Architecture and Planning.

HOK is the global architecture firm that led design for the state-of-the-art medical facility and signature addition to the Buffalo cityscape. Welcoming its first students this month, the Jacobs School and the integrated NFTA Metro station serve as a new gateway to downtown and an anchor to the vibrant Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Drucker’s talk will:

• Explore design solutions to the pedagogical and research goals of the university and the creation of a true academic medical campus.
• Discuss how the six-story, 600,000-square foot Jacobs School, featuring terra cotta cladding and a signature light-filled atrium, pays homage to the city’s architectural fabric while setting design standards for the new Buffalo.
• Explain how community conversations and context-sensitive design created a project that integrates with its surrounding residential and business districts.

RSVP to attend Drucker’s talk by contacting Corinne Cardy at ccardy@buffalo.edu or 829-3385.