Cornell University completes $91.5M class-expansion project

ITHACA, N.Y. — Crews have completed work on the $91.5 million class-expansion project at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

The project is designed to improve teaching facilities; increase energy efficiency; expand the pre-clinical class size; and “create a sense of community through the unification of major teaching, clinical and research capacities of the college,” the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release.

The final phase of this project included 12,000 square feet of space at the Cornell small animal community practice facility, which will serve as a new home for Cornell’s small animal primary care practice. The small animal primary care practice serves the local community and is a “core teaching resource” for students pursuing their doctorate of veterinary medicine degrees.

This last phase marks the completion of the entire project, Cuomo’s office said.

The full expansion project is supported, “in part,” through about $7 million in SUNY funding, a $19 million Empire State Development capital grant, and a $2.8 million round 4 regional economic-development council grant.

The investment complements “Southern Tier Soaring,” the region’s “comprehensive strategy to revitalize communities and grow the economy,” Cuomo’s office said.

“Working with the architectural firm Weiss/Manfredi of New York City, the college partnered with the state and private donors to fund the project,” according to an article on the project posted Friday on the Cornell University website.

“These high-tech upgrades will transform the renowned college, improve the local economy and help strengthen New York’s diverse academic opportunities,” Cuomo said in the release. “The completion of this expansion project signifies a new era for the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, as it continues to support the regional economy while helping the Southern Tier soar.”

The $91.5 million class-expansion project includes 87,000 square feet of new space and 60,200 square feet of renovations. The project includes buildings designed to be certified as LEED silver. LEED is short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

“Available for virtually all building, community and home project types, LEED provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings,” according to the website of the Washington, D.C.–based U.S. Green Building Council.

The addition of larger classrooms, an e-learning center, and study areas, along with renovated anatomy, tutorial, and student-surgery areas, and a centralized Flower-Sprecher Veterinary Library provide a “solid ground” for training future veterinarians and scientists, Cuomo’s office said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com