SUNY College at Buffalo Student Housing

Owner: Buffalo State College

Project Value: $38.2 million

Completed: June 2011

Architect: Cannon Design

Beds: 507

Buffalo State College faces a steadily increasing demand for on-campus housing. To meet this demand, the college hired our team members as construction manager at-risk with GMP for their new student housing facility totaling 220,000 sq. ft.

Our team members managed and coordinated all construction activities for this 507 bed complex. The facility consisted of 135 suite-style apartments that included four individual bedrooms, two full baths, a kitchen and living room.

Several logistical problems were faced during the construction of this project. The building was erected on a small site that was surrounded on three sides by roads and one by a pedestrian walkway, all of which were used daily. Our team members’ main priority was the safety of pedestrians and ensuring traffic of the campus, and the nearly 70 truckloads of construction deliveries remained operational. This was successfully achieved using a flagman to control the traffic flow. This ensured the trucks got in and out and no students, faculty or construction crew members were put in harm’s way.

Another priority for our team was utilizing green building techniques and sustainable building materials to support the college in its goal of achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for the facility, which exceeded its original goal of obtaining LEED Silver.

While maintaining a hands-on role throughout the project, both the schedule and budget goals were also achieved. Construction began in January 2010, while facing winter weather in single-digit temperatures, high winds and snowy conditions. Despite the challenges, the foundations were set by March 1st and the project was wrapped up in June 2011, which was the original completion date. The estimated cost during the design stage was $38.2 million; the actual construction cost came on-budget as well.