Human Ecology Building

SUNY Oneonta|Oneonta, New York

The SUNY Oneonta Home Economics building, constructed in the 1950s, was no longer meeting the needs of the College. Architecturally, we designed a dramatic front entrance and re-fenestration that revitalized a conventional 1950s educational building and helped the Campus transition from its historical architectural palette to one that symbolized its embrace of the contemporary while respecting reverence to its history.

Project Type:
Higher Education
Academic
Early Childhood

Cost:
$9.6 million (construction)

Size:
70,000 SF

architecture+ worked with the College to develop their vision for the future. The renovation that created the Human Ecology Building serves as a hallmark of SUNY Oneonta’s commitment to innovation. This project transformed several of the College’s academic programs and foreshadowed pedagogical changes, such as group-based learning by doing, that didn’t take place at other institutions until a decade later.

The project resulted in new and innovative ways for students to hone and demonstrate their skills. The laboratory space of the Interior Design and Fashion Design Programs was supplemented with a gallery and display cases. The instructional commercial kitchen was equipped to serve a dining room staffed by hospitality students. A fully licensed daycare center was designed to train students in the Early Childhood Development Program.

"architecture+ excelled in every phase of the project. In planning, they worked extremely well with faculty to reflect their program needs. In design, they produced timely, thorough and detailed drawings. In construction, they were firm but fair with contractors."

Tom Rathbone, Associate Vice President, Facilities, SUNY Oneonta