With record enrollment and four buildings in various stages of
planning, design and construction over the next few years, SUNYIT is
growing—and we invite you to check here for the latest developments:
architectural drawings, groundbreaking and construction photos, and
much more.
Student Center steel
Lots
of activity at the Student Center construction site in recent weeks.
Structural steel is going up and workers have repositioned security
fencing to offer those parking in designated handicapped spaces in lot
C easier access to a new paved pathway that leads to Kunsela Hall. For
the time being, drivers will be using the new entrance to C lot instead
of the old one that fed traffic directly into the handicapped parking
area.
More parking Just in time for the start of the fall semester, new parking is ready
for use as part of the project extending lot C in front of Donovan Hall
and adjacent to the Student Center construction site. The entire lot
now has 40 more spaces than it had before construction began. Temporary
lighting will be in place until permanent lighting is installed.
Watch the Student Center take shape If you’d like
to see how construction is going on the $13.6 million Student Center,
you can check it out online. A webcam offers a real-time view of the
construction site and nearby campus scenes as well. The webcam is
available on SUNYIT’s home page, or go to: www.sunyit.edu/constructioncam and see how the latest campus project is taking shape!
Nanotech partnership will add to planned advanced technology center
On July 15, SUNYIT and UAlbany's College of Nanoscale Science and
Engineering announced a major partnership supported by $225 million in
New York State and nanotechnology industry funds. Participating in the
Cayan Library news conference were Governor David Paterson, Assembly
Speaker Sheldon Silver,
Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito, SUNY Chancellor
Nancy L. Zimpher, SUNYIT President Wolf Yeigh (seen here addressing a
crowd of more than 200 at the event), representatives of IBM and
SEMATECH, and other officials. A news release issued by Speaker Silver’s
office has more details about the Computer Chip Hybrid Integration
Partnership (CHIP) announcement.
A state-of-the-art 'clean room' and other facilities are expected to
be incorporated into the already planned $27.5 million advanced
technology center, which will likely be larger than originally
envisioned. President Yeigh, speaking at the end of the July 15 event,
concluded his remarks by “borrowing the SUNYIT slogan we’ve been using
to describe campus growth—it’s an appropriate way to describe this
project’s impact on New York State’s future: ‘Watch Us Grow!’”
1. Mark your calendar! The ceremonial groundbreaking for SUNYIT’s
next big construction project—the $20 million field house—will be held
on Friday, October 23, at 2 p.m. Students, faculty, staff and friends
of SUNYIT are invited to the event.
2. The week of July 6 saw the start of some really serious
‘groundbreaking’ for another major project, the $13.6 million student
center. Crews began breaking up part of the parking lot in front of
Donovan Hall as the first big step toward construction got underway.
...and while we're on the subject...
Please be aware that parking has changed in lot C near Donovan and Kunsela Halls during construction.
In June, a temporary parking plan took effect as crews began preparing for construction of the new Student Center and an extension of the existing parking lot in front of Donovan Hall.
Main campus entrance gets new look Whether you're driving to campus or just passing by on Rte. 12, you'll see something new at the Horatio Street entrance. On May 19 and 20, crews installed a two-ton monument sign featuring the SUNYIT logo. Photographers Matt Kopytowski and Lynne Browne captured the installation at various stages, so you can see how the sign went up.
Made of aluminum in SUNYIT’s blue-and-gray school colors, the completed structure is 24 feet high and 18 feet wide. It replaces the original campus entrance sign in place since 1985. Workers from Wilcox Brothers Sign Company in Buffalo used a crane to fit the monument’s three parts over a concrete-and-steel-reinforced supporting structure.
“This will be quite visible for campus visitors and those driving by the main entrance during the day, but even more so at night,” said SUNYIT spokesman John Swann. “The SUNYIT logo will be lit by hundreds of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps. LED technology uses less energy and lasts longer than fluorescent or other traditional lighting systems.”
The main entrance monument is part of a capital improvement project that includes similar but smaller signs at SUNYIT’s two other entrances at Mulaney Road and Edic Road.
The work goes on! Architects JMZ are well into the design of the field house and have shared their latest images; these show how the new building will look, inside and out.
First, a view of the two planned buildings and an existing one: Donovan Hall (left) with the Field House behind it and the Student Center (right).
Next, two other exterior perspectives: a look at the Field House from the east followed by a front-entrance view...
Inside design images show two views of the gym, one at floor level and the other from the corridor:
Stay tuned for more updates on the Field House and other campus projects.
Neither snow...
Some campus improvements can't wait for better weather. In late October, the day the first snow of the season fell on campus, crews were working on a project that's a combination upgrade and preparation for a much larger construction project.
"The contractor working around Kunsela and north of Donovan is J.A.T. Construction from Selkirk, New York," says Carson Sorrell, facilities director.
“They are installing new manholes and duct bank for our underground electric and communications system. This project is both a rehabilitation for these systems and a necessary relocation of utilities to make way for construction of the field house.” The project is expected to continue into January 2009.
A groundbreaking event--the first of several!
Dignitaries joined President Wolf Yeigh at the October 23 ceremony on the site of the planned $13.6 million student center. From left: President Yeigh, Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito, Student Association Executive Board President Jerimiah Edwards, State Senator Joseph Griffo, College Council member Theodore Max, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente.
A welcome change for the main campus entrance
It’ll be a whole lot easier to spot SUNYIT’s “front door” soon. Travelers using routes 8/12 north and south who pass by the Horatio Street campus entrance will see a new monument sign, replacing the original sign which was removed in September (see below). Several feet taller than its predecessor, the new monument sign will be more visible. Similar signage is being installed at the other two campus entrances.
What’s going on in front of Kunsela Hall?
The main entrance to the oldest campus building recently reopened, but some work is still to be done—and several people have asked about “the pillars.” These two gray structures are not quite finished, but should be soon—hopefully by the end of October. Carson Sorrell, facilities director, says once completed the two pillars will become a focal point, pointing visitors to Kunsela’s main entrance.
Once finished, the pillars will be brick, matching the new plaza pavers, and each will feature the name “Kunsela” in an inset that will be LED-illuminated at night.
…and what’s going on near Edic Road?
If you guessed “a new campus directory,” you’re right. A new campus map was installed at the original Horatio Road pull-off recently, and now workers are constructing an Edic Road entrance pull-off which will feature the same map. Both the student center and field house locations are indicated on the map, but with more buildings on the way Sorrell says these versions of the directory will be relatively short-term. In time, they’ll be replaced with updated panels. The Edic Road entrance--according to traffic data--is the most popular for those arriving on campus, and Horatio Street is the most popular exit.
Take a look--here's an architectural vision of what walking through the campus will be like once the student center and field house are completed:
Another "sign of the times" happened September 22, when the old campus entrance sign on Horatio Street began to come down to make way for a new, taller monument-type sign that will be installed soon. Preparations for similar entrance signs are underway at the Edic Road and Mulaney Road entrances.
On August 19, President Wolf Yeigh announced plans (to faculty, staff and reporters at the "State of the Campus" address) for a fourth new building: a $23.5 million residence hall, in addition to the previously announced $20 million field house, $13.6 million student center, and $27.5 million advanced technology center.
President Yeigh speaking to a TV reporter.
This campus map shows the locations of the four planned buildings and nearby existing buildings.
In July, crews took the first steps toward a reconfiguration of the main entrance to Kunsela Hall, as part of plans to construct the first of the four new campus buildings that will rise over the next four years.
As work continues, photos and updated information will be available online on the four coming additions to the SUNYIT campus: the $13.6 million student center, $20 million field house, $27.5 million technology center, and the $23.5 million residence hall.
In addition to news about the construction projects, other "watch us grow" news will be available online so everyone interested in SUNYIT's progress can keep up with the latest developments.