Mitchell|Giurgola Architects LLP, the vision behind Fredonia’s new Science Center, has earned a 2016 Excelsior Honor Award for New Construction from AIA New York State, Inc., an organization of The American Institute of Architects.
It was among 13 Honor Awards in the Public Architectural category that were presented at the AIANYS Excelsior Awards program and reception held May 2 in Albany.
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A “well-executed expansion” is how AIANYS President Margaret O’Donoghue Castillo, FAIA, describes the Science Center, which is connected to Houghton Hall. “The use of native materials lends itself to the design and the interior and exterior juxtapose with wonderful results. Congratulations to SUNY Fredonia and the students who get to use this building every day,” Ms. Castillo said.
New York City-based Mitchell|Giurgola has a world-wide reputation for excellence of academic and scientific research facilities.
Steven Goldberg, FAIA, partner of Mitchell|Giurgola, indicated the new facility presented an opportunity to strengthen the southern end of the academic campus. As an addition to Houghton Hall, the design of the new structure closed an existing roadway and replaced a parking lot. “The result was a new science complex and courtyard which transformed the fabric of the campus as well as the teaching of science at Fredonia. Green roofs, passive solar shading, high performance façade and mechanical systems put the building on track for LEED Silver Certification,” said Mr. Goldberg, who attended the AIANYS awards reception along with Mitchell|Giurgola partner John Doherty, AIA. Goldberg gave remarks and was also joined by Mr. Doherty at Fredonia’s dedication of the new building.
Fredonia President Virginia Horvath noted, “It's exciting that the excellent design work by the talented architects of Mitchell|Giurgola has been recognized with an AIANYS Honor Award. All who enter the building are impressed not only by the scale of the building by also the ways that the design creates intimate spaces for hands-on learning and informal interactions. Given the success of so many students who have been studying and working in labs in the center opened in 2014, the building is a winner in both aesthetics and scientific learning.”
Opened in 2014, the state-of-the-art Science Center is the first academic building constructed on campus in four decades. The 92,000 square-foot project houses the Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Environmental Science and Science Education programs and was 100 percent publicly funded by the State University Construction Fund.
The Excelsior Awards program showcases remarkable projects built in the public eye within strict budgets and timetables, Ms. Castillo said. Public projects are a unique challenge due to the logistics of the actual build and necessity of securing public approval for the project.
