The facility’s design and construction is led by LeChase Construction and SWBR Architects with additional support from FXFowle architects. The building will serve as a center for sustainability research, technology transfer, education and outreach and will provide a showcase for green construction and design.
The facility will house multiple labs, classrooms and conference rooms dedicated to RIT’s graduate programs in sustainable business practices. It will also serve as a ‘living laboratory’ to test these practices and will utilise advanced building technologies and facility monitoring system to showcase performance.
The story of the design and systems will be incorporated throughout the facility, making each space a learning space. The new building will be designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council. The campus already features one LEED Platinum and one LEED Gold facility.
RIT received a $13.1 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Construction Grant Program for the facility and $10 million in funding from the state of New York to assist with construction. In addition, the Golisano Institute has also received various corporate and foundation investments toward its education and research programming as well as its laboratory facilities.
The Golisano Institute was formed in 2007 with a $10 million gift from Paychex founder and chairman B. Thomas Golisano. It currently houses one of the world’s first Ph.D. programs in sustainability as well as master’s degrees in sustainable systems and sustainable architecture. The institute conducts research in nanotechnology, alternative energy development and validation, sustainable design and pollution prevention.
