SUNY Fredonia Science Technology Center
Project Background:
The State University of New York (SUNY) Fredonia was founded in 1826, with the goal of maintaining a small university feeling while providing nationally-ranked academic programs. The campus has an excellent sustainability initiative to help educate and promote awareness to students, faculty and staff about environmental, social and economic issues.
SUNY Fredonia’s new Science Technology Center was constructed to provide updated facilities for the college’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs, which were previously housed in four separate buildings. The new construction, located on a former parking lot, is approximately 99,000 gross SF, with a cellar level and three stories above grade.
Project Services:
Steven Winter Associates, Inc. (SWA) performed the energy simulation analysis and advised the team in order to help realize this impressive achievement. SWA also provided LEED certification services to the project.
Energy Conservation and Sustainability Features:
Energy efficiency was a main focus for the design team, and by determining feasible energy efficiency measures early on, the project projected 35.84% annual energy cost savings, surpassing their original goal of 25% savings.
Another highlight for the team was the green roof, with a wide variety of native and adaptive vegetation that requires no permanent irrigation. Since the site was previously an asphalt parking lot, the green roof on the building and native/adaptive landscape surrounding the building will not increase stormwater quantities and will actually improve stormwater quality on site. A campus-wide stormwater management plan, including sustainable upgrades and improvements to the current system is under development.
Indoor environmental quality, another priority, was also addressed thoroughly by the team. The construction team selected all no/low VOC materials, urea-formaldehyde free composite wood, low-emitting flooring systems, and implemented IAQ measures throughout construction and before occupancy. Occupants can now control both lighting and thermal comfort to further improve the working and learning environment.