The new School of Business will be a 42,000 square feet facility, which will be built over three levels. Poised to be the most architecturally prominent educational structure in the Northeast, the new School of Business will also be noted for its environmental consciousness.
The building will be a rectangular bar shaped. Inside, it will accommodate a double-loaded corridor and program space, positioned on the either side of the corridor. The western side of the building, facing the campus mall, will accommodate faculty offices and lounges; while the eastern side will accommodate classrooms.
The building will have a modern, charcoal and ivory-colored façade and will feature an expansive glass curtain wall. The side facing the mall will be clad in ivory-coloured vertical GFRC (glass-fiber-reinforced concrete) rainscreen panels, featuring staggered vertical. The exterior atrium will feature an expansive glass curtain wall intersected by the elevator’s shaft enclosed in horizontal, charcoal coloured aluminum composite rainscreen panels.
The other side of the building will be clad in red brick. This side of the building will feature a two-storey expanse of curtain wall, emerging from the southeast entrance. This area encloses an outdoor seating area and emphasises the pass-through nature of the lobby of the building. The third floor of the building will be a cantilevered segment. The soffit below the third level will feature lighting, which will illuminate the plaza below. The classroom and administrative spaces on this side of the structure will be equipped with punched windows of various widths, featuring 1” double-glazing with high efficiency, low-e glass.
The project will incorporate a host of sustainable elements, which will enable it to earn LEED Silver certification. The energy performance of the new B-School will be 30% higher than the required New York State’s standards. The building will feature a tight envelope consisting of ultra high efficiency glazing, energy-efficient exterior panels; and an exterior wall and roof design that minimises energy losses through the exterior. The structure will also feature a high albedo (solar reflectivity) membrane roof system.
The building will accommodate two kinds of learning spaces, traditional classrooms and the collaborative classrooms. The first floor of the building will feature three-storey lobby atrium and reception; the tiered seating/gathering space facing the glass curtain wall; the architectural staircase; two, 64-seat auditoriums; two 44-seat classrooms; faculty rooms; bathrooms; and support spaces.
The most prominent element of the first floor is a 1,000 square feet multi-dimensional bamboo walled, internal amphitheatre, which overlooks the Mall. A main ceremonial stair is featured at the entrance of interior amphitheatre, which extends till the atrium. The stair is designed as a series of visual experience. At the upper landing of the tiered seating, users will be oriented toward the building’s southeast lawn and student housing beyond. As the user goes forward, the second-floor corridor bridge can be crossed toward a cantilevered stair adjacent to the front facade. This upper stair will rise to its middle landing, with one suspended in the void of the glazed atrium.
The second floor will feature the central corridor; 13 faculty offices; one active lounge; one quiet lounge; a 44-seat classroom; two collaborative, 1,050 square feet, 36-seat classrooms; one traditional, 900 square feet classroom; and one, 24-seat classroom,
The third floor will house the main corridor; 11 faculty, management, and administrative offices; three active lounges; one quiet lounge; a 1,050 square feet computer lab; a 36-seat collaborative classroom; a 44-seat collaborative classroom; and the main, 600 square feet conference room.
Construction on the scheme will be undertaken by Stalco Construction, and will entail a total capital expenditure of $26.7 million, of which $19 million will be expended towards the construction of the facility. The building will feature a concrete foundation and a steel frame structure with concrete slab on metal deck floors.
The complete project team included general contractor Stalco Construction, architect and interior designer Urbahn Architects, structural engineer Consulting Engineers Collaborative, civil engineer BET Engineering Consultants, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) engineer Vanderweill Engineers, Lighting designer Domingo Gonzalez Associates, and Landscape architect Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects.
The new Farmingdale State College School of Business building is a part of the college’s $185 million campus improvement plan aimed at accommodating the college’s increasing enrollment. It will offer programs in Business Management, Visual Communications, Ornamental Horticulture, Sport Management and Computer Systems.
