Award of Merit - Higher Education

Center for Environmental Sciences and Technology Management at SUNY Albany

Creativity within strict constraints was the signature achievement for the three-phase Center for Environmental Sciences and Technology Management at the State University of New York at Albany.

The $97 million CESTM project involved the design and construction of 368,000 sq. ft. of facilities, including 73,000 sq. ft. of class-1000 clean-room space. The innovative structure housing laboratories, offices, conference rooms, and electronic communications is the first university-based building of its kind - and now serves as a home for the nanoelectronic technology community.

In the three-year construction window, the most the most challenging phase by far was the final property, the $50 million Nanofab 300 North. The university intends for that unique facility to catalyze the entire nanotechnology industry - from concept to market introduction support. Nanofab is also an integral part of other state-funded research hubs in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Long Island.

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But the end users of the facility are not the only ones utilizing high technology and creativity to deliver their product. Building the new center took that same focus on technologically advanced methods mixed with the specialty of higher education construction. It also helped the project team, led by Welliver McGuire Inc. of Elvira, N.Y., the construction manager, overcome various obstacles.

"Despite the terrible site conditions, high water table, and state budget delays, they got the job done on time," said one jury member.

The first challenge of Nanofab, which broke ground in late 2002, was site access. The project bordered a busy thoroughfare on one side and on the other side faced buildings and a hill that was later removed. In addition, a major gas transmission line ran through the property.

Then there were the sandy soil conditions. The water table on the construction site was only a few feet below grade, requiring Welliver to install and manage a dewatering system.

The sandy soils made installation of piles critical to the building's functionality and safety. The 1,400 auger cast piles - installed to a depth of 70 ft. to 80 ft. - prevented structural failure in case of liquefaction, a dangerous phenomenon resulting from a seismic event in sandy soils, which turns underground dirt into liquid and can destroy building foundations. The team also had to dig deep foundations to prevent ground vibration from affecting machinery in the clean rooms. Furthermore, the team had to complete all of that groundwork without disturbing expensive, highly sensitive tools housed in the earlier phases of the project.

The awards jury recognized that sensitive mix. One member cited "the complexity of use for this building and the challenge of site conditions in constructing it."

Both public and private funding arrived slowly, making project management even more difficult. For instance, it delayed the pile installation work until winter 2003. That delay also forced the team to pour structural concrete during the winter, and led to additional work, such as installation of an all-encapsulating waterproof membrane system to protect against water intrusion.