University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

When completed, the “Solar Strand” will contain tubing that will elegantly and safely carry the electricity, allowing visitors to walk through and enjoy the array. Photo: DOUGLAS LEVERE

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  “Communities have sometimes rejected solar projects, fearful that they would be ugly or industrial. Here, we have something that is both enormously practical and artistic.”

  Robert G. Shibley

  Chair of UB’s Environmental Stewardship Committee and dean of the School of Architecture and Planning

By Charlotte Hsu

Published: August 25, 2011

Construction is well under way on the “The Solar Strand,” a massive, 3,200-panel solar array that will form the new gateway to the UB’s North Campus.

Designed by renowned landscape architect Walter Hood, the installation is a work of public art, with groups of photovoltaic panels mounted onto supports that stretch in three polished rows along Flint Road, the main entrance to the North Campus.

Walkways will run between the rows of panels and join the array with local roads, an existing visitors’ parking lot and naturally regenerated meadows and wetland areas that the public can enjoy. Gathering spaces embedded in the project include an open-air chamber paved with recycled, concrete sidewalk slabs. The array’s tallest groupings of solar panels will form a slanted roof over three outdoor “social rooms.”

At 140 feet wide and 1,250 long, the array will have a rated capacity to produce 750,000 watts of energy—enough to power hundreds of on-campus student apartments, UB officials say.

The project, one of the largest ground-mounted solar arrays in New York State, is funded by the New York Power Authority.

Construction began in June, and administrators expect the array to be operational by the end of the year. Once up and running, the installation will bring the university closer to its goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030 under its Climate Action Plan.

“The Solar Strand is both an art installation and an absolutely practical power-generation facility,” says Robert G. Shibley, chair of UB’s Environmental Stewardship Committee and dean of UB’s School of Architecture and Planning. “It’s a tremendous addition to the south entry to the campus along Flint Road.”

“In fulfilling the artist’s vision, we establish a new design vocabulary for solar installations,” Shibley continues. “Communities have sometimes rejected solar projects, fearful that they would be ugly or industrial. Here, we have something that is both enormously practical and artistic.”

The Solar Strand owes its name to the linear formation of its panels—an arrangement that, from a birds-eye view, resembles the pattern of a DNA fingerprint.

Adjacent landscaping will reinforce the installation’s straight lines. To the west, three new rows of trees will flank a shallow bend in Flint Road, stretching north to south in the same direction as the array’s panels. Similarly, narrow strips of mowed grasses will separate wider strips of unmowed grasses next to the array, creating a geometric pattern that recalls the campus’s agricultural past.

UB officials hope the solar array will be integrated into the life of the campus and community, with students, professors and local residents using the space for social and educational activities.

The Solar Strand, a component of “Building UB: The Comprehensive Physical Plan,” supports the UB 2020 long-range strategic plan that envisions UB as a world-class university with vibrant campuses, strong connections with the local community and a commitment to environmental stewardship.