The University at Buffalo has unveiled its design for its new downtown medical school.
UB is calling it a "dramatic design" for its School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences building to be located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in downtown Buffalo.
The University says the signature feature of the new, seven-story building is a light-filled, six-story glass atrium that joins the building’s two L-shaped structures and which includes connecting bridges to adjacent buildings and a stairway that cascades down from south to north.
“What’s on the horizon is more than a new era for our medical school and a major new milestone for the university,” said Satish K. Tripathi, UB president. “It’s the opportunity to be part of shaping a bold new era of progress, discovery and promise for our city and our region.
“Today, we get our first exciting glimpse at what that future will look like. A medical school with such a profound impact needs a truly world-class design, and HOK has clearly delivered just that.”
Groundbreaking is scheduled for this fall. Construction is expected to be completed in 2016.
“The new design allows us to grow our class size from 140 to 180, educating more physicians, many of whom will practice in the region,” said Michael E. Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences at UB and dean of the medical school. “It allows UB to hire more talented faculty, bringing to this community much-needed clinical services and medical training programs.”
The new medical school will bring 2,000 UB faculty, staff and students daily to downtown Buffalo.