ECC New Health Sciences Building at Amherst Campus
While working with ECC Administration relative to the development of the new ECC Building at the Amherst Campus, we completed a 3D Model design of an interactive building that would maximize daylight with light monitors, and an Atrium that would have 360 degrees of skylights.
Unlike anything on ECC Amherst Campus, the Health Sciences Building would be revolutionary in both form and function, from its use of triple insulated glass panels to the allocation of interior space to promote student interaction and interdisciplinary collaborations.
The building would incorporate large open, flexible, lab space with specialty labs and linear equipment rooms. This design provides a collaborative and functional environment for all kinds of instructional programs. The first floor dedicated to public space including lecture halls, exhibit space, gathering spaces; for large and small groups, an exercise area and a coffee house. This area was designed to not only provide a great gathering place for students and faculty.
In the Penthouse, we proposed a large event room which would provide a view of the entire campus. This would be available for College and public use. The directive from the College was to incorporate public useable space wherever possible to help involve the community into the college life.
The Health Sciences Building is a state-of-the-art, 100,000 net sf educational and laboratory facility.
Strategic Location
The proposed site located between the Academic and Athletic Areas is strategic in a number of ways. The new Building will be an Icon that will be visual from Main Street and Youngs Road and will help to create an active front door to the College. The new Building will strengthen ECC’s position and the school’s connection to the community, and project an active effective Campus, a visual from the view of traffic, without any major impact to Campus Green Environment, Campus roads and parking, and/or adding any additional pollution to the environment.
Additionally, this will help the College’s plans to build future projects, as well as having an anchor Signature Building with a great view from Main Street. After all, Main Street has more traffic than Youngs Road and it is a major throughway for traffic. This will transform ECC North to play a major role from a semi-sleepy, unknown Campus to a vibrant, full of life Campus.
Proposed Atrium
The Building will feature highly advanced interactive technology that will stand the test of time while promoting higher education and develop a highly trained workforce in the areas of Science and Human Health Services.
We have designed an Atrium visible and open to all floors, that creates a space that faculty, staff, students and visitors will be able to interact, pass through, relax, and communicate freely on their way to classes, labs or administrative offices, and/or a place for the public to relax and have a cup of coffee and a snack while watching participants playing sports.
This openness will encourage both the public and the College to share common goals to promote education in WNY, while building a solid trained workforce.
Green Design & LEED Certification
EI Team will work with the Integrated Design Team of the County and College Representatives to design an interactive building that will maximize utilization of daylight by adding light monitors, and an Atrium that will act as 360 degrees of skylights.
Rainwater will be used for irrigation of the rooftop garden. Any additional water will be used to provide irrigation for the sport fields north of the Building, and its surrounding landscape.
A dual solar collector and electric solar panel system will be used to maximize renewable energy utilization to operate the new Building.
The Atrium is naturally ventilated, utilizing Solar Collectors and Geo-thermal to minimize carbon based energy. The development of a near-zero carbon base building is the foundation of the proposed design.
Photovoltaic panels are expected to produce about 50 percent (50%) of the annual electrical needs. With that in mind, the Building was designed to offer a clean look from all sides with lots of windows, and is void of a visible backside with the usual utilities, such as cooling towers or loading docks. It also is a departure from the common “box with a flat roof” style of Campus architecture.
Views of the New Building from Different Perspectives
We at EI Team pride ourselves in designing new buildings with architectural designs in mind that will be inviting spaces, utilitarian, and cost effective, that will have a positive impact on the attitudes of the people who work and study there, as well as the interactions that will take place for years to come. This is what some may call a “Signature Building.” During warmer months, the exterior Courtyard North of the Building will offer an additional gathering place. This will create an atmosphere that hasn’t existed before at ECC North Campus and for that matter, on any other campus.
Preliminary Building Structure Layout – 3-D Model of Floors
One of the great features of proposed design is the flexibility of floor configuration that will allow current and future building utilization to be reconfigured as the need presents itself. The open floor plan will accommodate class rooms of 30 seats to 150 seats, dependent upon College requirements. An additional great deal of flexibility was also thought of for the Science Labs with their needs for utilities, space, configuration, etc.
Classes and laboratories are designed to utilize maximum space with maximum utilization of day time lighting.
Corridors will act as throughways for traffic, gathering and study areas where students could wait around, communicate, hold group discussions, group studies and/or just lounge around.
Green Roof Looking West
One of ECC’s most respected and notable Programs is its’ Culinary Arts & Hospitality. In review of said great Program, aligned with ECC’s current and future projected needs, as well as the lack of conference room/space at the Amherst Campus; aligned with dedication to Green design, a roof top Conference Room and Culinary Delight has been designed with a 360 degree view of the area, that provides a panoramic view including Downtown Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
Interior conference spaces, walking garden, and exterior patio are all combined to provide ECC with an opportunity to accommodate small to large gatherings of the public, students and faculty.
Solar Preheat
While simultaneously generating electricity for the building, hybrid solar panels can produce preheated water. This water can in turn be circulated to the buildings mechanical and plumbing systems. With the aid of a heat exchanger, the heat can be added to the domestic hot water being used in bathrooms, laboratories and food facilities. Another circuit and heat exchanger can be used to transfer heat to the buildings heating system. Preheating the water reduces the amount of energy required from an alternate energy source, typically natural gas or fuel oil. A solar array of this size produces 336,000 kwh of preheated water annually. That production would save the burning of 11,400 cubic feet of natural gas and save approximately $12,500 annually.
Elevation
During warmer months, the exterior courtyard North of the building outside will offer a similar gathering place. This will create an atmosphere that hasn’t existed before at ECC North and for that matter, at any other campus. The flexible interior floor plan and high ceiling allows the College to mix and match spaces for current and future needs. Although Programming & Planning is currently in progress, the College can be assured that its needs will be met.
This long-awaited Health Sciences Building at ECC’s Amherst Campus will not dominate the Campus skyline; but the four stories plus, all enclosed structure, will stand tall because of its striking design.
Geothermal Conditioning
5 or more feet below the ground the earth has a year round average temperature of about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat transfers from warm to cool.
In the summer months the ground is cooler than the outside air. With the aid of mechanical pumps and heat transfer fluids heat can be extracted from the air and added to the ground.
In the winter the ground is warmer than the outside air. With the aid of mechanical pumps and heat transfer fluids heat can be extracted from the ground and used to warm the cooler air.
The ground has such a large thermal mass allowing it to accept or reject heat year round without the temperature fluctuating greatly from the average temperature of about 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
ECC New Health Sciences Building
One of the great features of proposed design is the flexibility of floor configuration that will allow current and future building utilization to be reconfigured as the need presents itself. The open floor plan will accommodate class rooms of 30 seats to 150 seats, dependent upon College requirements. An additional great deal of flexibility was also thought of for the Science Labs with their needs for utilities, space, configuration, etc.
Classes and laboratories are designed to utilize maximum space with maximum utilization of day time lighting.
Corridors will act as throughways for traffic, gathering and study areas where students could wait around, communicate, hold group discussions, group studies and/or just lounge around.
Building Location, Height and Buffalo Airport/FAA Flight Path Requirements
In review of Buffalo International’s Airport Flight Path, FAA requirements; the above drawing was developed to demonstrate that:
Our Proposed Project Facility’s Height will not be affected by any said requirements.
Proposed Project Facility Green Design (i.e. Solar Panels/Solar Reflectors) will not induce any additional solar reflection that potentially may be construed as potential solar reflection hazard to flight path.
In reference to the Town of Amherst’s Building Ordinance limiting heights of buildings; we have reviewed this issue in depth, and believe obtaining necessary variances for this Building’s height is achievable.
