University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Greiner Hall, opening in August, will be the home for 600 sophomores. Photo: DOUGLAS LEVERE

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  Building boom: Work continues on UB’s three campuses. | View slideshow

By SUE WUETCHER

Published: July 7, 2011

The building boom continues on UB’s three campuses, with some high-profile projects nearing completion, as well as millions of dollars in critical maintenance projects under way.

More than $384 million in projects currently are in progress on the North, South and Downtown campuses, according to Kevin Thompson, director of facilities planning and design. And another $515 million is in the planning and design phases, including the $375 million project to relocate the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

The first major project to be completed is William R. Greiner Hall, the 600-bed residence hall adjacent to the Ellicott Complex on the North Campus. Greiner Hall will open in August to 600 sophomores.

Also slated to open during the fall semester is Barbara and Jack Davis Hall, which will house numerous departments and centers from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences that have been scattered among several UB buildings. Faculty members are scheduled to move in between September and December.

In addition, renovations to the second and third floors of the UB Downtown Gateway building at 77 Goodell St.—home to the UB Regional Institute and the Office of Economic Engagement—are expected to be completed by December. The work on the second floor will accommodate the Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; the offices of UBMD, the university’s physician practice plan, will move to the third floor of the building.

Projects on track for completion during spring/summer 2012 are John and Editha Kapoor Hall, the new home of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Clinical and Translational Research Center, which will occupy the top four floors of a 10-story building being built by UB and Kaleida Health next to Buffalo General Hospital. Kaleida Health’s Global Vascular Institute will be located in the first four floors.

Moreover, construction began last month on the new building for the Educational Opportunity Center, UB’s chief initiative for training urban community members for jobs and preparing them for higher education. The new facility at 77 Goodell St., which will replace EOC’s present location at 465 Washington St., will become part of the UB Downtown Gateway. It is scheduled to be completed in January 2013.

And the first phase of a two-phase project to renovate Hayes and Crosby halls, home of the School of Architecture and Planning, will be bid this month, with construction expected to start in September. The project, which will begin with Hayes, includes preservation of the exteriors of the historic buildings on the South Campus and creation of new interior academic spaces.

In addition to this new construction, millions of dollars in critical maintenance projects are under way on the North and South campuses, as well as “small-scale capital rehab projects.” The work ranges from masonry and utility repairs and upgrades, to roadway, sidewalk and roofing work, to renovations of classrooms and office space. Among those projects:

North Campus:

• Masonry repairs and electrical and sound-systems upgrades in Alumni Arena.
• First- and second-floor renovations, including the main entryway area, in O’Brian Hall.
• Renovation of office space in Fargo into a student business center and study facility.
• Installation of new emergency generators for each building at South Lake Village and the community building at Creekside Village.
• Renovation of the exterior stairs from the Ellicott Terrace to the Richmond courtyard.
• Reconfiguration and renovation of a suite in UB Stadium for an athletic training room.

South Campus:

• Extensive interior rehab and exterior masonry work on Kimball Hall. Interior work is nearly complete; exterior work should be completed by the fall.
• Exterior renovations of Wende Hall.
• Renovation of lab, office and classroom space in Farber Hall.
• Renovation of the former Faculty Club in Goodyear Hall into a student business center and study facility.
• Underground utility upgrades; the last phases of this multi-year project are under way.

For detailed project maps featuring lists of construction projects on all three campuses, click here.