Category: Construction

Campus Update: Ellicott Street is Reopened.

by Maria Morrealein Construction

As construction continues at the Trico building located at the corners of Ellicott/Washington Streets and Goodell, The City of Buffalo has advised BNMC that Kandey Corp, one of the contractors working on the project has reopened Ellicott Street, which had been closed since December 1.

About the BNMC

For more than twenty years, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus organization (BNMC) has been a driving force in Buffalo’s economic renaissance. Throughout its management of the growth of Buffalo’s premier innovation district, the BNMC has foregrounded smart economic, social, and environmental development, prioritizing health & well-being, and sustainability. Today, the BNMC is focused on the next phase of Buffalo’s ongoing resurgence, cultivating inclusive innovation in partnership with our community. In 2021 BNMC spearheaded the initiative to bring the national programs forAll and Eforever to Buffalo. These proven programs support aspiring entrepreneurs from all backgrounds to help them start or grow a business. Program graduates will form the heart of Buffalo’s growing Innovation Community comprised of businesses large and small in an array of disciplines and leading the region’s next wave of economic development and growth.

What’s next for the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus?

by BNMCin BNMC Team, Buffalo, Business Development, Campus-wide, Career Opportunities, Children's Hospital, Community, Construction, Development, Employees, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Expats, Health care, Healthy Communities, Infrastructure, Innovation, Innovation Center, Member Institution(s), News, Students, Technology, Transportation, Workforce and Procurement, Youth And Education

What’s next for the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus?

By Karen Robinson | The Buffalo News | Published | Updated

The newly opened $270 million John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital was a page turner in the latest chapter of the burgeoning downtown Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

So was the December opening of the University at Buffalo’s $375 million new home for its Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The completion of the new projects mark a turning point for the 120-acre campus at the epicenter of Buffalo’s renaissance.

In 2002, the campus was in its infancy with just three companies. Now boasting 4.5 million square feet of development and $1.4 billion in investments, the campus has moved beyond just medical institutions. It has taken shape with a diverse mix of health care, life science and technology companies, becoming fertile ground for entrepreneurs and their startups.

There is still more to come.

Campus planners are aiming for BNMC to rival medical campuses in places like Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Among the next steps are strengthening ties with higher education and the private sectors.

“We are so well positioned with all the institutions and assets that are here and now want to embrace the excellent universities and colleges,” said Matthew K. Enstice, CEO and president of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc. “We plan to build out” – meaning renovate – “more space for them to have a location so they can interact and be a part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem that we have here.”

A big part of that vision is twp-contenting into local small and large companies, especially mature ones, and including them in the campus’ vision for its innovation district. “The world is changing so quickly in technology, that we’re putting a structure in place to help multiple, different companies innovate,” Enstice said.

Here’s what’s coming next on the Medical Campus:

• Design work is expected to start for renovation of existing buildings on the former Osmose Holdings site. In 2016, BNMC bought the 4.4-acre parcel, which is located at the northern edge of campus at Ellicott and Best streets and has parking for 200. It is expected to be a magnet for mature private-sector companies, along with universities and colleges, but will not be a second incubator, BNMC officials say.

• Ellicott Development Co. has a $4 million adaptive reuse development project underway at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, just north of the campus at Main and Best streets. To the south, Ellicott is planning a six-story retail and office building at 1091 Main St.

• Along the western edge of the campus, design work will begin for a redo of a critical stretch of Main Street from Goodell toward Canisius College. Meanwhile, a $7.5 million overhaul of Allen Street, including redesigned sidewalks and widened sections of the street, is expected to begin. Work will be done in phases, stretching from the eastern end of Allen toward Wadsworth.

• Workers will put the finishing touches on the exterior of UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, which opened to students earlier this month at 955 Main St. Final terra cotta panels are being installed on the Washington Street side of the building by spring. Most of the university’s labs are being moved in from mid-January through mid-March. With the medical school fully operational, 2,000 faculty, staff and students will be there daily.

• The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s newly renovated Allen Medical Campus Station has been integrated into the medical school. The station features “Gut Flora,” a colorful public art sculpture by Shasti O’Leary Soudant, and a newsstand opens this month. A one-block tunnel that serves as a pedestrian passageway to Washington Street will open beneath the medical school.

• The campus’ ninth pedestrian skybridge will be designed and constructed later in the year. It will span High Street, linking the Conventus medical office building to the UB Medical School. The new $1.5 million connector comes after three other skybridges just opened in November: one from Conventus to Oishei Children’s Hospital, another from Children’s Hospital to Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute, and a third leading out the back of Children’s Hospital to a new parking ramp at 854 Ellicott St.

• By late May, the $40 million, 1,825-space parking ramp behind Oishei Children’s Hospital at 854 Ellicott will be completed. The top half of the eight-story ramp has been under construction since late 2017. The bottom half of the eight-story ramp opened Nov. 10 with Oishei Children’s Hospital.

• The 128,000-square-foot Thomas R. Beecher Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott St. will be completely full by the end of March.

Editorial: UBMD is another boost for Medical Campus

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Construction, Development, Innovation, Member Institution(s)

Editorial: UBMD is another boost for Medical Campus

By News Editorial Board
The Buffalo News

In yet another unmistakable sign that the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is coming into its own, UBMD Physicians’ Group is beginning to move into the Conventus building.

The goal of having physicians, researchers and medical students all working together is taking shape. The result should further solidify the Medical Campus as an integral part of the area’s economic engine and help stretch its reputation beyond local borders. More immediate is the opportunity for medical professionals to interact.

As reported in The News, UBMD, which formed in 2005 as the umbrella organization for 18 separate medical specialty practices, has begun centralizing in one location more than 100 of its doctors. In all, the group has more than 500 doctors affiliated with the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The group includes an additional 1,200 health professionals and staff.

The seven-story medical building at 1001 Main St. is the bridge between Medical Campus institutions. As News medical reporter Henry L. Davis wrote, it has direct connections to the University at Buffalo’s new Jacobs School and to the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital. Both are in the final stages of construction.

The pediatric hospital is connected to Buffalo General Medical Center and Gates Vascular Institute. UBMD’s own move to the Medical Campus is a welcome change for doctors who have been working in separate locations, communicating but not meeting.

There is a benefit when medical professionals have the opportunity to share ideas face to face on a regular basis. Such human connections can crystallize ideas, something that might not hwp-contenten over a telephone line, email or Skype. It is the case for many industries: consulting with colleagues helps improve ideas; in this case, ideas for better patient care.

As Dr. Kevin J. Gibbons, executive director of UBMD and a neurosurgeon with UB Neurosurgery, said: “There are doctors I have had working relationships with for years but rarely or never met. Now, we’ll be meeting.”

Twelve of its medical practices crossing a spectrum of specialties have moved or will be moving into Conventus within the next two months: dermatology, family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, obstetrics-gynecology, orthopedics/sports medicine, pathology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery and urology.

Children’s Hospital and the Jacobs School are expected to complete transitioning to the campus this fall. With the moves, 15,000 people are expected to work on the campus.
The Medical Campus has grown from a concept to a reality reaching the stage where medical students and professionals are scouting their new terrain.

Synergy is a buzz word that can be overused. But that synergy is an important reason for the Medical Campus. The decision by UBMD to move to Conventus is a gain for an important element of the new Buffalo.

Planning for Growth

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Construction, Development, GO BNMC, Healthy Communities, Member Institution(s), Parking, Transportation, Wellness

Planning for Growth

With over $750 million of investment, three cranes in the air and 700 construction workers on the Medical Campus this past year, our growth is undeniable as we continue to build the New Buffalo! We’re celebrating these developments to our great city and are looking forward to future advancements in the years ahead.

We’ve been planning and coordinating with our member institutions for many years to accommodate the influx of patients, visitors, employees and students on our transportation system and infrastructure. As the Campus grows, our Transportation Management Association (TMA), a collaboration of the BNMC, our member institutions, and regional transportation-related entities, continually monitors, plans for, and manages parking and transportation options.

We adhere to smart growth principles as we seek to build a dense, walkable urban environment that is attractive to local employers and companies outside the region looking for a wonderful place to relocate and grow. We work with a number of stakeholders to develop better options for the people who work on this Campus, as well as patients, students, and visitors, and our overall community and region.

Here’s a brief overview of our recent transportation planning efforts:

  • We continue to enhance options for people traveling to the Medical Campus, through the NFTA Metro rail and bus, carpooling, ride-matching, pedestrian & bicycle infrastructure and communicate these options as a part of GoBNMC, our campus-wide initiative to create a more sustainable and active transportation system for employees.
  • We are increasing our on-Campus parking supply with a new garage located at 854 Ellicott St., which will double the number of parking spaces at that location and provide a connector bridge to Children’s Hospital. We are also adding nearby surface lots to our system.
  • Through GO Buffalo Niagara, a region-wide community outreach program, we continue to identify and address transportation and mobility issues in surrounding neighborhoods and to share job and transportation information with residents.
  • We’re working together with the city and state to implement multi-modal streetscape enhancements that improve Campus access, promote health and safety, and support our overall placemaking efforts.

Planning for parking and transportation has been a critical component of our work for our 15 year history. Learn more about transportation and parking plans for the Medical Campus on our website.

Campus workforce to hit 15,000 as hospital, med school move

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Children's Hospital, Construction, Homepage, Infrastructure, Member Institution(s), News

Campus workforce to hit 15,000 as hospital, med school move

By Stephen T. Watson
The Buffalo News
Published Friday, Jan. 27, 2017

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is a focal point for development in Buffalo.

Over the past 12 years, the University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Kaleida Health and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute all have finished construction on major research or clinical centers on the campus. In the new buildings, doctors treat patients, scientists seek cures for deadly diseases and entrepreneurs build companies.

When the organization that oversees campus operations formed in 2001, 7,000 people worked at its existing institutions. Once the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital and UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences complete their moves to the campus this fall, 15,000 people are expected to work there.

Work is taking place across the campus, but two projects are at the center of attention.

Workers broke ground on the $270 million John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in fall 2014, and construction was 80 percent complete as of December.

[See the rest of Prospectus 2017: Unveiling the New Buffalo]

The 12-story, 410,000-square-foot facility has 185 beds. It is smaller than the existing Children’s Hospital on Bryant Street but is designed to give patients, their families and staff a better experience.

In November, the Children’s Hospital inpatient and emergency departments will make the highly choreographed shift to 818 Ellicott St.

[Gallery: The John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital]

The University at Buffalo this fall is expected to complete its Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, a $375 million undertaking that began in October 2013. The eight-story, 628,000-square-foot building is the largest construction project in UB’s 170-year history.

The new school will bring 2,000 students, faculty and staff to the Medical Campus from their current home on UB’s South Campus once it is finished. The building is 75 percent complete now.

[Gallery: UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences]

Many other projects will take shape on the Medical Campus in 2017. Notable projects include:

• Construction should begin in March on the $90 million Campus Square project, a redevelopment of the 12-acre Pilgrim Village affordable housing complex into a community with apartments, commercial space and parking.

• The Medical Campus should begin renovations to 980 Ellicott St. this spring and complete them by the end of the year. The complex has a mix of office and laboratory space.
The organization acquired the facility because it is running out of room in its Thomas R. Beecher Jr. Innovation Center, an incubator for startups. The campus spent $3.75 million to buy the buildings at Ellicott and Best streets from Osmose Holdings.

• Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. has selected a design for an 11-story medical and research building to cost up to $140 million. The architectural firm Perkins + Will is designing the new clinical, research and office building at 33 High St., the site of the old Langston Hughes Institute building, which will be torn down. The project is across the street from Ciminelli’s successful Conventus medical research and office building, at Main and High streets, and the new building would be similar in size and scope. The developer said it hopes to begin construction on the project in 2017.

 

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. to Acquire Former Osmose Holdings, Inc. Property at 980 Ellicott Street

by BNMCin Construction, Entrepreneurs, Homepage, Innovation Center, Parking2 Comments on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. to Acquire Former Osmose Holdings, Inc. Property at 980 Ellicott Street

 
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Kari Bonaro
202-904-7034/kbonaro@bnmc-old.local

Susan Kirkpatrick
716-866-8002/skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. to Acquire Former Osmose Holdings, Inc. Property at 980 Ellicott Street

Adding Property Addresses Need for Additional Office Space and Parking

 

Buffalo, N.Y., June 29, 2016 – The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) today announced plans to purchase property located at 980 Ellicott Street on the Medical Campus from Osmose Holdings, Inc. The 4.4-acre site is located on the northern end of the Medical Campus and includes the majority of the block bordered by Ellicott, Main, Best and Dodge Streets. It includes office, laboratory and warehouse space, as well as two parking lots with wp-contentroximately 200 spaces. The deal is expected to close late this summer.

Plans for the property have not been finalized although it will likely include renovations to the existing buildings in order to make it available to current companies on the Medical Campus that are in need of additional office and/or laboratory space, and to new companies seeking to locate to the Medical Campus. The current parking lot will provide additional Campus parking. The property is ideally located adjacent to the Summer-Best Metro rail station.

Matt Enstice, President and CEO of the BNMC stated, “The long term vision of the Medical Campus as an economic driver is now becoming a reality as young companies located here are growing and are in need of more space, and others are realizing the value of locating in close proximity to Medical Campus resources.  We are thrilled to add this property to our portfolio to address two of the biggest needs on the Medical Campus today: additional room for companies to grow and support for our overall transportation plan in the form of both additional parking spaces and proximity to transit.”

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.)

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.) is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC Inc. fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. bnmc-old.local.

 

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Allen Medical Campus Metro Rail Station Temporary Closure

by BNMCin Allentown, Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Construction, Employees, GO BNMC, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Parking, Transportation5 Comments on Allen Medical Campus Metro Rail Station Temporary Closure

metroBeginning on Monday, April 20, 2015 the Allen Medical Campus Metro Rail Station will be temporarily closed. The  station is expected to be closed for wp-contentroximately 3-4 weeks. Between these dates, there will be no passenger access to the Allen Medical Campus Rail Station. The closing is a result of ongoing construction taking place at the Allen Medical Campus Metro Rail Station, as the University at Buffalo continues to build its new School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences facility, which will be built over the existing rail station.
During the temporary closure, there will be free, daily Metro Bus Shuttle service (see schedule) available to avoid disruption of service to Metro Rail customers. Shuttle intervals will coincide with the daily rail schedule at 10- minute intervals during peak periods. Shuttle buses are ADA accessible for individuals with mobility devices.

Here are some tips to help make your commutes stress free:

  • On your way to work get off the Metro Rail at the Summer-Best station.
  • Make sure to have your rail card with you for access to shuttle busses.
  • Take the shuttle bus to the Summer-Best station.
  • Take the Metro Rail to your final destination.

For your safety, NFTA officers will be amping up surveillance along the temporary Metro Bus Shuttle route. Specific attention will be paid at and near all shuttle route stops.

Questions? NFTA Metro staff will be present at rail stations during peak hours between

April 14 – 17 to help answer any questions you may have. Also, for more information, you may call the NFTA at 855-7211.

Looking for a healthier, greener and more affordable ways to get to work? Checkout out GOBNMC.

Kaleida Health to Break Ground for the New John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Construction, Employees, Homepage, Member Institution(s)4 Comments on Kaleida Health to Break Ground for the New John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital
The John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital groundbreaking ceremony will held today Wednesday, October 8th, 2014. Physicians, employees, donors and other dignitaries will be on hand to kick off construction on the new $270 million facility.

image001The Oishei Children’s Hospital will replace the current Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, which is located on Bryant Street.

The historic project will right-size and consolidate services in a 12-floor, 183-bed, free-standing, modern facility on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. It will be an integral part of the campus, linking with the Buffalo General Medical Center, the Gates Vascular Institute, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the new UB Medical School and more.

Last week, Kaleida Health announced its financing for the project. In August, site preparation began.

Construction is anticipated to take wp-contentroximately 34 months , with the new hospital opening in 2017.

#Construction on the BNMC

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Construction, Employees, Homepage, Innovation Center1 Comment on #Construction on the BNMC

There’s no shortage of things hwp-contentening on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus today – from cranes hard at work on Conventus and Roswell Park to improved streetscapes and a new co-working space – everywhere you look something is hwp-contentening on the 6.5 million square feet of existing clinical, research, and support space. There is currently two million square feet under or soon-to-be under construction on the Campus, equaling an investment of more than $750 million in private and public funding. View the BNMC Map.
Here’s a look at past construction and what’s to come:

Past Construction from 2005-2013

Coming soon

  • Green Commons –  located at 927 -937 Washington Street, will involve the adaptive reuse of three historic buildings that will showcase sustainable best practices in land use, energy, and transportation.
  • Innovation Center Annex – private sector growth and a business accelerator, being developed by the BNMC, Inc., opening fall 2014
  • Conventus (medical office, research, and clinical care facility), anchor tenants include Kaleida Health’s Ambulatory Surgery Center & UBMD, as well as private-sector companies AMRI and Perkin Elmer , opening in Spring 2015.
  • Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Clinical Sciences Center – construction for the new 11-story Clinical Sciences Center is underway & expected to open in 2016.
  • UB’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences– broke ground on October 15, 2013 & is set to open in Fall 2016
  • Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo – the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital expected completion in early 2017.

Visit our twitter and Facebook page for more updates!

New York Times Features Buffalo & BNMC

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Construction, Homepage, News2 Comments on New York Times Features Buffalo & BNMC

“New construction, ambitious plans and fresh optimism” is the pull quote that The New York Times reporter Keith Schneider used for emphasis in his article titled “Once Just a Punchline, Buffalo Fights Back” which compliments Buffalo on its economic growth. The article, published on July 30th, showcased some of Buffalo’s recent accomplishments, including those on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The article offered a positive outlook on our city’s progress and its future. Schneider highlights the BNMC’s ability to be innovative, attract business, generate employment opportunities, and create a positive effect on neighboring communities.
“Brendan R. Mehaffy, the executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning, said the Buffalo Niagara Medical campus was encouraging the construction of new hotels, retail space and luxury residential development. Home prices in the neighborhoods closest to the campus have risen 15 percent in the last two years, according to the city’s latest real estate figures.”

“the Medical Campus now employs 12,000 people, with possibly thousands more once another phase of development is finished about four years from now.”

“The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus embraced a strategy adopted by other postindustrial cities, embarking on projects in clumps rather than in large endeavors.”

The article captured the attention of locals & ex-pats around the globe. Follow up stories on the article were written by local news outlets WBFO, channel 2 and channel 7.

To read the articles mentioned in this post, please visit:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/realestate/commercial/once-a-punch-line-buffalo-fights-back.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/221690/37/NY-Times-Article-Creates-Buzz-About-Buffalos-Economic-Development

http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/Buffalo-Highlighted-in-New-York-Times-Article-217861991.html

http://news.wbfo.org/post/ny-times-article-highlights-buffalo-s-new-growth

Bigger Steps towards a Smaller Footprint

by BNMCin Biking, Construction, Environment, GO BNMC, Homepage

in story biorention pictureSummer on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus has been full of projects that are geared towards decreasing the campus’ ecological footprint. New incentives for alternate forms of transportation, particularly by bicycle, have been installed at the south end of the BNMC and along Ellicott Street. We are close to the completion of a secure bike storage unit and are currently beta testing Buffalo Bike Share. These amenities were designed to motivate our employees to contribute to our GO BNMC initiative by using a more environmentally friendly mode of commuting to work.
There are also new improvements coming for those arriving on our campus by car. The ongoing construction on Ellicott Street will soon replace the one-way street with a newly paved two-way traffic street and a sidewalk park, filled with gardens, trees, benches, bike racks, and electric vehicle charging stations. This construction will continue through the summer and conclude with the street going two-ways at the end of the year.

The bioswale at the south end of 589 Ellicott has been completed and is now a fully working bioretention facility that helps filter contaminants that would otherwise enter the Great Lakes System. It also lessens the pressures put on the Buffalo sewer system, while simultaneously growing a beautiful garden on our campus.

We are excited about the green improvements around our campus and look forward to updating their progress and announcing their completion soon!

in story bike storage pictureinstory path photo

UB, Kaleida Win Green Construction Award

by BNMCin Construction, Homepage, Member Institution(s), News, Sustainability
UB Reporter Story: Published June 20, 2013

The new medical building in downtown Buffalo shared by UB and Kaleida Health received two honors at a local construction awards ceremony.

The 11th annual “Brick by Brick” awards, presented by Buffalo Business First, recognized Kaleida’s Gates Vascular Institute and UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center, which occupy the same footprint at the burgeoning Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

The $291-million building, a significant step in UB’s effort to relocate its medical school downtown, won the Golden Brick award, which is essentially the ceremony’s building of the year award.

Kaleida occupies the building’s lower floors, which are dedicated to the surgical and interventional management of cardiac, vascular and neurological conditions, as well as a 16-bed highly specialized intensive care unit and a 62-bed short-stay unit.

UB is using its portion of the building to expand its focus on translating basic medical research into new medical breakthroughs, innovative treatments and new economic opportunities.

The building also took the “Best Green Project” award.

The UB portion was designed to be certified gold under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. It has an array of sustainability features that minimize how much energy the building consumes and make use of natural light.

Additionally, the building is located near mass transit systems and is composed of materials from local sources.

UB last year received two “Brick by Brick” awards: one for Barbara and Jack Davis Hall, the new School of Engineering and Applied Sciences building, and the other for the William R. Greiner Residence Hall, a sophomore dormitory.

Space Growing Scarce at a Medical Campus Seeking its Niche – Buffalo News Story

by BNMCin Attractions, Campus-wide, Construction, Homepage, Innovation Center, News

Fast-growing center seeks its place in the crowded biomedical sector

As the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus works to overcome the region’s reputation as a high-tax, Rust Belt destination, it is already attracting enough tenants to be outgrowing its footprint, with two million square feet of space already added and another two million square feet planned by 2016. From left, electric cars charge in the parking lot across from the Innovation Center. Michelle Roti, a research technician, adds antibiotics to a growth media for cells at Tartis/Aging. Tivona Renoni, from GO Bike Buffalo, left, and Henry Raess work in the Innovation Center.

(Photos from The Buffalo News)

Published: 06/8/2013, 7:15 PM

As the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus works to overcome the region’s reputation as a high-tax, Rust Belt destination, it is already attracting enough tenants to be outgrowing its footprint, with two million square feet of space already added and another two million square feet planned by 2016. From left, electric cars charge in the parking lot across from the Innovation Center. Michelle Roti, a research technician, adds antibiotics to a growth media for cells at Tartis/Aging. Tivona Renoni, from GO Bike Buffalo, left, and Henry Raess work in the Innovation Center. Matthew Masin/Buffalo News

By Stephen T. Watson | News Staff Reporter | @buffaloscribe

The Texas Medical Center in Houston is the largest medical campus in the world, with 106,000 employees working in 290 buildings spread over an area 50 percent larger than Darien Lake theme park.

The powerhouse University of Pittsburgh pulled in $127 million in National Institutes of Health research grants this year, eight times the University at Buffalo’s total.

And the Miami Health District generates a $3 billion annual economic impact for Miami-Dade County in South Florida.

Skeptics wonder how the younger, and far smaller, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus can carve out a similar niche in the nation’s crowded and highly competitive biomedical sector, while overcoming the region’s high-tax, Rust Belt reputation in order to recruit scientists, doctors and entrepreneurs.

But experts contend Buffalo is not too puny or too far behind the other centers, and the Buffalo Niagara campus will succeed if it leverages its advantages of strong community support, collaborative decision-making and proximity to Southern Ontario.

“I get some rolling eyes when I say, ‘Buffalo’s doing a terrific job’,” said Charlie Dilks, a consultant and former president of the Association of University Research Parks. “They say, ‘Buffalo’s a dead city.’ I say, ‘No, it’s not.’

“That’s from people who haven’t been there and haven’t seen what’s going on. Unfortunately, it takes a long time for reputations to change.”

Other cities have found that a robust medical campus generates an array of benefits, from boosting health care, improving medical education, attracting research funds and creating jobs by taking innovations from the laboratory to the marketplace. That’s why cities, health care providers and universities pool resources.

“That’s what an academic medical center does,” said Candace S. Johnson, deputy director of Roswell Park Cancer Institute, citing the revenue generated at Pitt, where she previously worked. “It would be fantastic if we had that.”

The 11-year-old Buffalo Niagara campus is growing quickly, with two million square feet of space – or about 10 Walmart Supercenters – added in the past two years and another two million square feet planned by 2016. Employment on site will grow from 12,000 to 17,000 by then.

But the land-locked, 120-acre campus is starting to feel a space squeeze, with an Innovation Center that houses young companies nearly filled. Campus officials are thinking vertically and planning construction of a new center on top of a parking ramp to make better use of space.

“We can’t build five-story buildings anymore. We have to maximize the site,” said Patrick J. Whalen, the campus’ chief operating officer.

Life-sciences jobs

Other cities may have much bigger medical campuses, but the biomedical field is a crowded one, and the industry is big enough – and specialized enough – that no single region or institution can dominate, according to Simon J. Tripp, senior director of the technology partnership practice for Battelle, a global research and development organization.

The nation has about 125 academic medical centers, including Buffalo, and all are trying to build a life-sciences economy from the research they perform, Tripp said.

“The pie is so incredibly large that even a small slice, particularly for a community the size of Buffalo, can be a pretty significant economic engine,” he said.

The successful medical campuses have strong leadership, are treated as a community priority and their member institutions play nice with each other, said Dilks, the industry consultant. “I don’t think you’re too late to the game at all,” he said of Buffalo.

The hard part, Tripp added, is creating a “comprehensive innovation ecosystem,” with sufficient venture capital and veteran leadership to build and support a network of startups.

The region needs to capitalize on its strengths as a border community with an educated workforce and low cost of living, experts said, while finding a niche in a field such as genomics or cancer research.

“You get to where you’re recognized as a center of excellence in something,” said Thomas A. Kucharski, president and CEO of Buffalo Niagara Enterprise. “I think all that is starting to take hold on the medical campus. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time.”

Collaboration models

The medical campus organization – which represents UB, Roswell Park, Kaleida Health and other institutions – is a model of collaboration that followed less-successful efforts in the 1980s and ’90s.

“I think people were ready,” said Thomas R. Beecher Jr., an attorney who headed the medical corridor planning effort in the early 2000s.

Local organizers extensively studied the best practices at other centers and research parks.

“Tom Beecher said, ‘No sense reinventing the wheel. Let’s steal shamelessly from other places,’ ” Whalen recalled.

The Buffalo team learned, for example, the organization that runs the vast Texas Medical Campus makes enough money from the 27,500 parking spaces it owns to cover its overhead costs. Now the entity that runs the Buffalo campus is “pretty much self-sufficient” from parking and Innovation Center rent revenue, Whalen said.

Community benefits

It will take time for the benefits of the medical campus development to reach the surrounding neighborhoods.

Ruth Bryant, a retired assistant dean in UB’s School of Architecture and Planning, serves as the Fruit Belt’s representative on the medical campus board. She said residents are concerned about boosting home ownership in their neighborhood, ensuring they have access to the jobs created on the campus and keeping the cars and SUVs of campus employees from crowding their streets.

“How do you respect that neighborhood while still growing?” Bryant asked. “It’s the residents working with the campus to come up with the solutions.”

Officials acknowledge the campus won’t be considered a success until research is spun off into biotech companies.

“If you look at other models and other communities out there, it’s the private sector investment that drives everything,” said Enstice.

Innovation Center

Not every life-sciences company will succeed – as the demise of SmartPill Corp. showed – but the Innovation Center on the Buffalo campus is spurring this effort.

There are 63 companies in the center named for Beecher, including a fourth-floor incubator.

The center hosts Bagel Fridays, where tenants casually engage over a light breakfast, and three projects have grown out of the weekly gatherings.

“The building has great energy,” said Rob Wynne, the president and executive creative director of Wynne Creative Group, an advertising agency that moved its six employees to the Innovation Center in 2012.

Mobile HealthCare Connections was the first incubator tenant. The company works with doctors, nurses and pharmacists to provide real-time, in-home monitoring and management of patients, particularly those who are elderly and less able to get around.

“It’s the heartbeat of the medical community,” CEO Brian Egan said.

The Innovation Center opened in 2010, part of a recent flurry of construction activity, and 5,000 more workers are expected on campus by 2016, when Children’s Hospital and UB Medical School are opened.

City Comptroller Mark J.F. Schroeder has asked Whalen, the campus’ chief operating officer, to meet with representatives of credit ratings agencies to show them the development taking place on the medical campus.

One woman from Standard & Poor’s, looking at a map of the campus, told Whalen they seem to be running out of room.

Thinking vertically

The campus has to think vertically, Whalen said, as when UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center and Kaleida’s Gates Vascular Institute were stacked in the same building. One option for the second Innovation Center fits this model.

The campus needs to build another center to house Albany Molecular Research Inc. and the other tenants of a drug and medical research facility.

The first plan, which would have required tearing down part of the former Trico complex, ran into objections from preservationists.

Now, campus officials are looking at a different wp-contentroach: Tearing down the aging, city-owned Ellicott Goodrich Garage, known as the EGG, and replacing those 900 spaces with a 1,600-vehicle ramp and several floors of research space on top of the $87 million structure.

AMRI, the anchor tenant, and its partners are receiving a $50 million state grant to support their move to the campus.

The hope is the next AMRI won’t require any financial carrot, because the prospect of locating on the medical campus will be attraction enough.

“It’s the culture change this is bringing to Buffalo. The campus makes that undeniable,” said Marnie LaVigne, UB’s associate vice president for economic development. “I have my own mother asking me, ‘Is this real?’ It’s real.”

email: swatson@buffnews.com

RPCI Groundbreaking for Clinical Sciences Center

by BNMCin Construction, Member Institution(s), News

Construction of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) Clinical Sciences Center kicked off today with a groundbreaking ceremony for the 11-story, 142,000-square-foot, $40 million state-of-the-art facility that will house enhanced clinical care resources to help RPCI save lives and find cures for cancer.
The Clinical Sciences Center will be located at Michigan and Carlton Streets. It is the first construction project for RPCI since 2007. It is also the first clinical expansion project underway for RPCI since 15 years ago.

The center will offer a breast center; an expanded mammography center (the capacity to conduct annual mammogram screening will increase to 10,000); a new chemo-infusion clinic; an adolescent and young adult clinic; patient education and survivorship programs to reach patients, caregivers and family members; and state-of-the-art office facilities and space for clinician-scientists to analyze data from clinical studies.

Out of the $40 million raised for the facility, $25 million was raised through the Making Room to Save Lives: The Campaign to Build a Greater Roswell Park – a Roswell Park Alliance Foundation initiative that also received $10 million from the Circle of Ten (a group of 10 Western New York business and philanthropic leaders). There were 425 donors that contributed to Phase I of the fundraising efforts, including Roswell Park employees who collectively donated more than $1 million and a $1.5 million donation from New Era Cap in November 2012.

RPCI Clinical Sciences Center Groundbreaking-1

The groundbreaking is said to put RPCI right on schedule to meet the needs of the growing number of patients served. Within the last 5 years, RPCI has experienced a 39% patient increase and a 58% rise in outpatient wp-contentointments over the last 10 years. Nationally known for its care for cancer patients, the increase is due to a number of factors including an aging population and growth in translational research breakthroughs.

In addition to being able to help patients in the future, the center will presently boost the economy by way of a Project Labor Agreement that has been wp-contentroved by 18 different local trades. This will lead to the use of  local contractors and labor for the shell, core and 4 clinical floors within the center. The Clinical Sciences Center will be responsible for the creation of more than 200 construction and 340 long-term full-time jobs.

The building, which will also be connected to the adjacent main RPCI hospital, is expected to be completed in 2015.

*Pictures from retrieved from RPCI Web site

First Niagara Gives UB Land for Medical School

by BNMCin Allentown, Campus-wide, Construction, Member Institution(s), News

UB Acquires the Last of 3 Properties to Move Forward with Medical School Construction

First Niagara Financial Group Inc. has given the University at Buffalo (UB) a .85 acre of land to be incorporated into the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences site. The parcel of land at 973 Main Street is where a current First Niagara bank branch is located.

Although the land is considered a donation, in exchange for $1 First Niagara offered the land, worth wp-contentroximately $2 million, to assist UB in its quest to acquire the third property necessary for the building of the medical school.

Recognizing the importance of the land in UB's plan for the medical school, First Niagara's interim president and chief executive officer, Gary Crosby, stated that “We are committed to doing great things in our community and we are proud to collaborate with UB in order to provide the final piece of the puzzle for the new medical school to move forward.” He also stated that First Niagara is highly supportive of the region's efforts to continue being a recognized leader in life sciences, innovation and research.

Satish K. Tripathi, UB's president, said that “With [this most recent] acquisition, UB can move ahead with its plans for the new medical school, which will help to dramatically improve health care and medical education in our region while providing a significant boost to the local economy.”

UB Med School HOK2The $375 million, 520,000-square-foot medical school will be located on the corner at Main and High Streets.

With high expectations to improve health care throughout Western New York and to attract patients from other areas, the move of the medical school will also contribute to the growing world-class Medical Campus and its vision to attract the best and the brightest. The medical school will be able to graduate more physicians who will most likely stay and practice in the area. Medical school students will have the opportunity to receive a great and invaluable educational experience while near facilities like the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, Buffalo General Medical Center, Gates Vascular Institute, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the UB Clinical and Translational Research Center and others.

“UB will attract the most promising medical students and world-class faculty,” said Michael E. Cain, MD, UB vice president for health sciences and dean of the medical school. “The prospect of a brand new, 21st century medical school next to teaching hospitals and state-of-the-art research laboratories in downtown Buffalo is helping UB to recruit top physicians and scientists, some of whom are already here.”

UB will add several new clinical service areas within the new medical school, providing specialty care and health services not currently offered in the region. Faculty will pursue cutting-edge research and collaborations with member institutions will lead to advanced care for patients.

On October 1st, First Niagara will relinquish the property to UB, later opening a new branch on the BNMC.  Until the new branch opens, a temporary branch will be located at 1031 Main Street.

The groundbreaking for the new building is set for September and construction is expected to be completed in 2016.

*Design rendering by HOK , a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm.

Read more about the this announcement below:

First Niagara Donating Downtown Land for UB Medical School

Land Donation Leads to First Niagara Branch Shuffle

First Niagara Provides Land for New UB Medical School Project

First Niagara Donates Land for New UB Med School

First Niagara Giving UB Main Street Land for $1

John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital Mock-Up Rooms Revealed

by BNMCin Construction, Health care, Homepage, Member Institution(s), News1 Comment on John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital Mock-Up Rooms Revealed

CHOB Mock Room News ConferenceSeven new mock-up rooms were revealed during  a tour inviting the media to view how rooms within the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital may look.
The mock-up rooms shown have walls erected, and some include installed equipment. The rooms presented were the neonatal intensive care unit; pediatric intensive care unit; pre/post operative room; labor and delivery room; an ED urgent care room; medical/surgical/mother-baby room; and an operating room.

Design for the rooms is physician-, nurse-, clinical and support staff-, patient- and family member-inspired. A part of 27 user-groups total, those who provided feedback had it incorporated into the initial mock-up designs in order to meet the needs of its primary users and to provide the best possible care. Additional feedback from the user-groups regarding the mock-ups will help to determine design suggestions to consider. The groups have signed-off in agreement with the interior design and floor plans for the new hospital, completing the design and development phase of planning. The Physician-led Steering Committee and user-groups will move forward with the development of new process flows for patient care and other hospital operations for the Children’s Hospital, and the ambulatory care center to be housed within Ciminelli Real Estate’s medical office building, Conventus.

Spacious and more aesthetically pleasing, the hospital’s room infrastructure is being designed to accommodate new technology as well. In addition to being able to offer input, the  groups get to use the newly constructed rooms to help develop new processes to deliver care within them. The goal for the hospital is for it to be recognized as the most innovative, highest quality, highest value provider and partner, and the regional referral center for women and children’s care for Kaleida Health in Western New York and beyond.

View a live webcam image of the construction site for the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital and Conventus, which will be connected by bridges on the second and third floors to the new hospital. It is expected to open in 2016.

(Top Right Photo – Dr. Teresa Quattrin, Pediatrician-in-Chief at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and UB Distinguished Professor, A. Conger Goodyear Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and Allegra Jaros, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo provides an update on plans for the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital.)

Private Sector Investment on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

by BNMCin Construction, Homepage, Investment Opportunities, Member Institution(s), NewsLeave a Comment on Private Sector Investment on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

Post from Buffalo Niagara Enterprise Blog: Development Discussions
By Alan Rosenhoch, Business Development Manager, Buffalo Niagara Enterprise

Conventus redering by Kideney Architects

Conventus rendering by Kideney Architects

Conventus (Latin for “coming together”) is a brand new seven-story medical building being developed by Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation at the northern gateway of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC). Designed to be a center for collaborative medicine, it will be anchored by Kaleida Health and UBMD. Ciminelli expects to open the building in the spring of 2015.

I had the opportunity to ask the President and CEO of Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation, Paul F. Ciminelli, a few questions:

Q: You recently began site preparation work on the Conventus project; what does this project represent for the BNMC and the region’s life sciences industry?

A: There are two aspects of this project that represent major milestones in the development of the Medical Campus. First of all, Conventus is the first significant private investment on the campus, which is indicative of our strong commitment to the BNMC and our belief in its vision. Private dollars send a strong message to our community and to other markets that the Campus is a viable initiative and worth the investment.

Secondly, Conventus’ adjacency and physical connections to the new Children’s Hospital and the new UB School of Medicine, is groundbreaking in its collaborative wp-contentroach to the needs of the patients, physicians, researchers and students. Coupled with its location at the northern gateway to the Campus, Conventus facilitates a seamless connection among all of the major medical-related facilities at the northern end.

Q: How much space will be taken by the two anchor tenants, Kaleida and UBMD, and how much space will remain for future tenants?

A: Kaleida will occupy wp-contentroximately 85,000 sq. ft. on the 2nd and 3rd floors, which are the floors where connections will be made to Children’s and the Medical School, as well space on the ground floor for their Blood Draw and Pharmacy. UBMD will occupy 60,000 sq. ft. on the 4th floor and a portion of the 5th floor. A major regional bank will occupy a portion of the ground floor as well. Based on the inquiries we have had to date, we expect to have tremendous interest in the remaining square footage, and that full occupancy will be achieved quickly.

Q: What types of tenants are you seeking for the balance of space? For what type of company would you consider Conventus to be ideal space?

A: As with all of our projects, we will identify potential tenants that are synchronous with the existing tenant base and with the overall vision of the Campus. We refer to Conventus as a “center for collaborative medicine” because of the multiple disciplines that will be housed in and facilitated by our physical connections to the Hospital and UB’s School of Medicine. We look forward to accommodating clinical, educational, practical and research components at Conventus, as well as other healthcare-related tenants.

Q: You are targeting LEED Gold Certification for this project; why is sustainable design, building elements and operation so important to Ciminelli?

A: In 2008, Ciminelli made a commitment to pursue LEED certification with all of our projects going forward because of our commitment to minimizing our environmental footprint and to developing high-performing buildings. From an ownership standpoint, it has a definite positive impact on the long-term operating efficiencies of the building. From a tenant’s perspective, LEED certification translates to a healthier, more efficiently run environment in which to work. It’s a win-win.

Q: Conventus is not planned to be a one-shot project for Ciminelli on the BNMC; what else do you have on the drawing board for the near and long-term future?

A: The core of our business is being able to see the big picture; the ability to put pieces of a puzzle together and create synergies within every development project we undertake. This is what our company does best, and why we are committed to supporting the BNMC’s vision. We have purchased additional property at 33 High Street directly across from Conventus and Children’s Hospital and adjacent to UB’s site for the Medical School in anticipation of continued growth. As things continue to evolve on the Campus and we see possibilities for future needs there, we will pursue strategic developments to support those needs.

Q: Plans call for Conventus to connect to the Allen Street NFTA Metro Rail station; how does this fit into your overall plan to connect different parts of the region?

A: Ciminelli is a strong proponent of transit-oriented development, as evidenced by our two current projects under construction: Bethune Lofts (Main Street and Hertel Avenue), and Conventus. Developing along our transit lines facilitates connectivity among vibrant areas of Buffalo Niagara such as the UB South Campus University District, the Hertel Avenue district, the Medical Campus and Canalside. As it stands today, the NFTA Metro Rail station will be connected to the new UB School of Medicine at Allen Street. It should be noted that, while there is a connection from that building to Conventus, its use will be somewhat restricted.

Q: Conventus represents the first significant for-profit private sector-led development on the BNMC; what makes your company so bullish on the future of the campus?

A: Ciminelli has owned property on the Campus for 20 years, so we’ve been a part of it since its early stages. We saw things begin to evolve as the plan was rolled out. We’ve seen similar models succeed in cities of comparable size and demographics to Buffalo, so we knew it could work here, especially with it being so close to our Central Business District and being on a main transit line. All of the components were there; all it needed to take it to the next level was significant private sector investment. We were the first, but we know we won’t be the only ones. Additional private sector support will hwp-contenten on and around the Campus.

“My life works in Buffalo Niagara because of the tremendous quality of life we have in a relatively low-cost environment, the great educational institutions that supply a talented workforce, and because of the friendliness of its people. I love it here!”

– Paul F. Ciminelli

Fisher-Price & Mattel Donate $3M to New Oishei Children's Hospital

by BNMCin Construction, Homepage, Member Institution(s), News2 Comments on Fisher-Price & Mattel Donate $3M to New Oishei Children's Hospital

Inside Kaleida Health‘s John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital will be the Fisher-Price & Mattel Family & Child Resource Center thanks to a $3 million donation to The Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation from the local toy company. The donation secured naming and construction rights by Fisher-Price, Inc. and Mattel, Inc. for the Center which will be located on the 5th floor of the new hospital.
fisherpricecenter_0In addition to interaction with and support from the Child Life and Stone’s Buddies staff, patients and families will have access to the 6,000-square-foot respite area and its designated sections. There will be areas for meditation, a chapel, family consultation rooms, and an area for computers and video games. Fisher-Price and Mattel will incorporate toy storage compartments within the play areas on each of the hospital floors, and will include branded animal sculptures within the outdoor garden.

The Center is scheduled to open in 2016 with the new hospital. Groundbreaking for the new Children’s Hospital site on the corner of Ellicott and High Streets, across from the Buffalo General Medical Center, is set to begin this spring.

Read coverage about the donation below:

Toy Makers Pledge $3 Million for Children’s Hospital Family Center

Fisher-Price, Mattel Pledge $3 Million for New Children’s Hospital

Fisher-Price, Mattel Give $3M for Children’s Hospital Project

Medical Campus Makes Sustainability Improvements to 589 Ellicott

by BNMCin Construction, Environment, News, Parking7 Comments on Medical Campus Makes Sustainability Improvements to 589 Ellicott

Bio-retention Facility
The BNMC continues to make significant sustainability improvements to its largest surface parking lot at 589 Ellicott Street, including a bio-retention facility, solar/wind powered lighting, and a bicycle storage shelter.

The bio-retention facility, one of the largest in the region, was completed this spring at the south end of the surface parking lot. It significantly improve the quality of storm water exiting the parking lot prior to entering the sanitary stormwater sewer along Ellicott and North Oak Streets. Often referred to as a rain garden, the bioretention facility actually goes above and beyond the mere slowing of the movement of water from surface to sanitary sewer as in a rain garden. The bio-retention facility will retain the first 1.25” of rain on site. This significantly reduces the stress placed on the sanitary storm water management system that usually accompanies a heavy rainfall. The retention of 1.25” of rainfall on site will be a requirement of the City of Buffalo’s upcoming Green Code.

The purpose of the bio-retention facility is to remove a wide range of pollutants, such as suspended solids, nutrients, metals, hydrocarbons, and bacteria from storm water prior to entering the sanitary sewer system and ultimately stopping these pollutants from entering the Buffalo River. It also adds to the greenspace on the Campus.

In addition, resources are also being deployed to enhance access and safety for employees, patients, visitors and neighboring community members.

LSImageAdditional infrastructure enhancements include the upgrading of existing lighting systems in the parking lot. Existing wooden poles will be replaced with galvanized steel poles. Existing energy consumption intense metal halide lamps will be replaced by energy efficient 31 watt intelligent LED lamps. The lamps will be powered by a 1000 watt, 5’ tall vertical wind turbine which will sit 25.5’ off the ground atop the pole. Additional renewable energy for the lamps will be produced by a 200 watt, 3’ by 5’ photovoltaic panel located 21’ off the ground. Once installed, these lamps will no longer be tied into the electrical grid. The illumination will result from electricity produced by solar and wind and lithium ion battery storage located in the pole’s base.

The hybridized wind and solar street lighting system is technology developed by the Lumisolaire company based in NYC. The solar bed which will hold the photovoltaic panel system will be manufactured locally by Ontario Specialties Corporation. CIR Electrical Construction Corporation is the contractor installing the system.

The bicycle storage shelter is being constructed at the north end of the lot at Ellicott and Oak Streets. This secure facility is designed to increase bicycle ridership on the BNMC, supporting our GO BNMC initiative to encourage employees to take alternative modes of transportation to work. This structure is complete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Work Begins with ‘Conventus’ – Buffalo News Story

by BNMCin Construction, Homepage, News3 Comments on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Work Begins with ‘Conventus’ – Buffalo News Story
The Ciminelli Medical Campus building, “Conventus,” will include retail businesses on the first floor.
Link to story.

Published: 12/17/2012, 08:08 PM

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus work begins with ‘Conventus’

$90 million structure to be finished by 2015

BY: Henry Davis /News Medical Reporter

The transformation of Main Street along the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is about to get started.

Fencing went up Monday, and construction is expected to begin soon on a major medical office building on the block bounded by Main, High, Ellicott and Goodrich streets.

The major tenants will include doctors associated with the University at Buffalo medical group known as UBMD and many services connected to a new Women & Children’s Hospital, which will abut the office building being developed by the Ciminelli Real Estate Corp.

The $90 million building is planned to be just less than 300,000 square feet over six floors, but it could grow to seven floors, depending on interest from additional tenants, said Denise Juron-Borgese, the project manager.

The developer has named the building “Conventus,” which is Latin for coming together and reflects the building’s planned connecting walkways with nearby facilities, including the Research Institute on Addictions and the anticipated new UB Medical School building.

“Our building is the hub that will be connecting the other buildings,” said Timothy Vaeth, vice president of development at Ciminelli.

Vaeth and Juron-Borgese said Ciminelli is moving ahead with work in anticipation of final site plan wp-contentroval in January by the city Planning Board. In addition, the developer in January will seek sales and property tax abatements for the project from the Erie County Industrial Development Agency.

Women & Children’s Hospital, a part of Kaleida Health, is moving from its longtime Bryant Street location in the Elmwood Village to the downtown Medical Campus. Groundbreaking for the new facility, which will be renamed the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, is expected in the spring, with completion in early 2016.

UB officials have said they plan to relocate the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences from the South Campus to the Medical Campus by 2016 in a project estimated to cost $375 million.

The Ciminelli project will begin with remediation of the site through the state’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, which provides tax credits for cleanup and redevelopment of properties with environmental issues.

Ciminelli needs to remove a lot of the soil, which contains elevated levels of petroleum hydrocarbons as a result of the site’s history as a gas station for many decades. Both Kaleida Health, which owns the land, and Ciminelli, the developer that will lease the land, are responsible for the cleanup.

The project marks the first major private investment on the downtown Medical Campus and is the most expensive single building Ciminelli has developed.

Completion of the building, which will include two levels of underground parking for 318 vehicles, is scheduled for spring 2015.

The pediatric outpatient surgery center in the new children’s hospital will use space in the Ciminelli building, with the Ciminelli building acting as the “front door” of the surgery center, Vaeth said. The second and third floors of the Conventus building will connect seamlessly to the pediatric hospital, he said.

Kaleida Health also will use the Ciminelli building for a number of other children’s services, including a pharmacy, a laboratory and clinics, including dialysis, therapy infusion and the Robert Warner Rehabilitation Center.

“Physicians [at Women & Children’s] wanted to leverage the accessibility of the Ciminelli building to Main Street. This is where people can check in, and it keeps congestion away from other facilities,” said Robert Bragg, vice president of campus development at Kaleida Health.

Young patients will enter through the Ciminelli building and receive surgery in the new children’s hospital, which will connect to Buffalo General Medical Center across Ellicott Street through a second-floor walkway and a tunnel for utilities and support services. Work on the tunnel, assuming city wp-contentroval, is scheduled to begin early next year, Bragg said.

The building, which was designed by Kideney Architects of Amherst, also will include limited retail business on the first floor, mainly to serve the tenants, such as, potentially, a bank branch and a food store. Plans for a hotel were abandoned in favor of devoting the space to medical use, Vaeth said. However, he said, it’s likely the Medical Campus will need more hotel rooms in the future as development expands.

hdavis@buffnews.com

Kaleida's WCHOB Receives $2 M Grant from The Children's Guild Foundation

by BNMCin Construction, Member Institution(s), NewsLeave a Comment on Kaleida's WCHOB Receives $2 M Grant from The Children's Guild Foundation

Kaleida Health‘s Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (WCHOB) has received a $2 million grant from The Children’s Guild Foundation for the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The grant is the largest gift given by The Children’s Guild Foundation since its 102-year establishment. Having supported the WCHOB for more than a century, the non-profit foundation continues to carry out its mission to “advocate and fund rehabilitative healthcare, research, education and therapeutic recreation programs for special needs children.”
“The Children’s Guild Foundation has been an incredible advocate and supporter for the Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and countless children with special needs for generations,” said Cheryl Klass, Senior Vice President of Operations of the Buffalo General Medical Center and President of the WCHOB. She also stated that “This enormously generous gift will now ensure that future generations of newborns and their families will have direct access to the best possible critical care available.”

The gift is the first for the WCHOB and will support the construction of a state-of-the-art unit that will serve the hospital’s premature and ill infants. Nearly 250 newborns are transferred to the WCHOB from various hospitals throughout the region. Waiting for the arrival of the infants in need of care is an on-the-ground team of neonatal nurse practitioners and respiratory therapists who receive the babies from an air transport team made up of the same medical professionals.

The Board of Directors from The Children’s Guild Foundation presented the endowment to the physician and executive leadership from Kaleida and WCHOB at the Gates Vascular Institute, with the new WCHOB site view nearby. The Foundation’s Board Chair, Wendy T. Stahlka, stated that “The funding of the Neonatal Instensive Care Unit will have a direct and positive impact on the children who start their lives with developmental and physical challenges.”

“As excitement about our physician- and family-led plans for a new Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo continues to build throughout our community, this gift gives us great momentum for the move,” said James R. Kaskie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kaleida Health.

The new 12-story, 430, 000-square-foot hospital will be connected by bridges to an ambulatory care building that will sit behind the hospital, housing outpatient clinics and other support programs for the WCHOB. The hospital is set to open in 2016 on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

 

New Women and Children's Hospital Design Concept Submitted to City Planning Board

by BNMCin Allentown, Community, Construction, Fruit Belt, Member Institution(s)Leave a Comment on New Women and Children's Hospital Design Concept Submitted to City Planning Board

The anticipated conceptual design for the Kaleida Health affiliated Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (WCHOB), which displays a 12-story, 430,000-square-foot facility, was presented to the City Planning Board with the hope of getting wp-contentroval to begin construction in the spring of 2013. The WCHOB looks to complete construction of its new hospital building on the corner of Ellicott and High Streets in 2016.
Teresa Quattrin, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, University at Buffalo and Pediatrician-in-Chief, Chief, Division of Endocrinology-Diabetes, Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo expressed the benefit and outcome of moving into the new building. “[W]e have a beautiful new building to look forward to, but also and more importantly, one that will deliver the best possible care available for women and children throughout Western New York and beyond,” said Dr. Quattrin.

Shepley Bulfinch joins the group of architects designing state of the art buildings on the Medical Campus. The Physician Strategic Planning Committee comprised of nearly 50 physicians chose the firm because of Shepley Bulfinch’s experience designing clinically complex facilities focused on patient and family care, especially when it comes to children’s hospitals. In addition to the physician-led committee, there have been 150 planning meetings for the project held by 26 user groups, solely focused on producing a plan for the  new hospital and ambulatory space.

The City of Buffalo Planning Board wp-contentroved the hospital’s previously submitted environmental impact statement (EIS). Back in May, the Board discussed initial building massing, floor plates and hospital access for the new building. Official site plan wp-contentroval for the inpatient tower project is the next step.

In the coming weeks, the hospital will officially submit its Certificate of Need (CON) with the New York State Department of Health. The CON process is the state regulatory process that governs among other things, construction and renovation of health care facilities; much like the plan for a new Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Hospital.

 

Read updated coverage about the new plans for the WCHOB site below:

Women & Children’s Hospital Sells Adjacent Properties

Kaleida to Take Next Step on Children’s Hospital

Plans for New Women and Children’s Hospital Move Forward

Planning Board to Get Detailed Look at Hospital Proposal

Design for the Future

City Planners Get Look at New Children’s Hospital

New Designs for Women and Children’s Hospital

Designs Released for New Women and Children’s Hospital

Women and Children’s Releases Drawings of New Hospital

Conceptual Design for Women & Children’s Hospital Released

Higgins and Supporters Advocate for Creation of Western Gateway

by BNMCin Allentown, Amenities, Community, Construction, Homepage, NewsLeave a Comment on Higgins and Supporters Advocate for Creation of Western Gateway

Congressman Brian Higgins expressed his support of the creation of a Western Gateway welcoming patients, visitors and employees of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) into the historic Allentown neighborhood. The City of Buffalo’s Mayor Byron Brown and the President of the Allentown Association, Ed Castine are in support of the project as well.
With a total of $6.8 million from the Federal Highway Administration and other resources, the Allentown Association and the City of Buffalo supports the enhancement of the urban experience at the intersection of Allen and Main Streets connecting the Allentown neighborhood and business district with the Medical Campus. The University at Buffalo’s (UB) School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will bring 1,200 new employees to the Medical Campus, this in addition to other planned developments will more than double the 2012 employee base of 8,500 to more than 17,500 by the year 2016. The City of Buffalo’s 2012-2013 Capital Budget has $100,000 designated for design work for improvements on Allen Street. Nearly $2 million will be needed for the conversion of Kevin’s Walk to the public right-of-way with enhanced amenities for pedestrians from Washington Street to North Oak Street. The remaining funds will be used for additional infrastructure development moving from Main Street westward along Allen Street.

Higgins encouraged partners who will make the gateway possible to move forward with zeal and urgency since the funds designated for the Allen Street Extension have been redirected. “The rapid growth of the Medical Campus brings exciting new opportunities for Buffalo and Western New York.  We must act urgently to harness the good things hwp-contentening here.  There is great potential for local business and job growth as well as quality of life enhancements” stated Higgins. “Improvements to the western gateway would tap into that potential and significantly benefit the Allentown community.”

Emphasizing the desire to spread the fruit of the economic development taking place on the BNMC, the campus’s President and CEO, Matt Enstice, stated that “This project will facilitate that and reassert the importance of sustainability – both in supporting the built environment that already exists and leveraging new investment to create a modern, walkable environment unlike anything Buffalo has seen in this post-industrial era.”

The streetscape and infrastructure improvements will help to further connect businesses, restaurants, and residents in the Allentown neighborhood with the large population of patients, visitors, employees who travel to the BNMC daily. This development will bring new life and economic activity to the already lively Allentown neighborhood. The Western Gateway will serve as a welcoming presence to the historic neighborhood and compliment the significant opportunity the relocation of UB’s Medical School represents for the Allentown neighborhood, the Medical Campus, the City of Buffalo and the Western New York region.

Architecture Firms Design State of the Art Buildings for BNMC Member Institutions

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Construction, Homepage, Member Institution(s), News, RenovationsLeave a Comment on Architecture Firms Design State of the Art Buildings for BNMC Member Institutions

After much anticipation about where the new University at Buffalo‘s (UB) School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences would be and the firm that would design it, it is evident that the new buildings being built on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) are setting the standard for creative submissions by many globally competitive design firms to design innovative facilities within the Buffalo-Niagara region.
UB’s announcement to have HOK design its $375 million medical school came after holding a second-round architectural ideas competition to decide which firm could present the best creative design for the project. Although the actual design has yet to be revealed, what can be said is that the plan will  go down in the books as one of Buffalo’s most sustainable structures to be built. The HOK planning goal is to aim for a LEED Gold certification for the facility.

The medical school will be located on the corner of Main and High Streets and will either incorporate the NFTA Metro Rail Station into the design or be built alongside it. The groundbreaking is set to take place in the fall of 2013 with the goal of completing construction by 2016. The facility will bring 1,200 students, faculty and staff to the BNMC.

HOK model that won the architectural competition to design the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

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