State University of New York at Albany

This public/private partnership expresses the pathway of technology transfer, from research and development, to incubation and commercial applications in a sweeping form that culminates in a 115-foot-high communications tower that is both a functional and symbolic focal point. Positioned at one of the city’s most active crossroads, the center has become an instant landmark, noted for its inventive geometry and striking ribbed metal and green glass skin. Enhancing its mission as a showcase of technology, the Center has also been designated as a photovoltaic (PV) demonstration project by the New York State Energy Department and is believed to be one of the largest building-integrated PV assemblies in the U.S. Incorporated along the full extent of the building’s glazed southern façade, these assemblies simultaneously act as solar shading devices, substantially reducing building cooling loads. In addition—and separate from the building itself—an array of free-standing PV pylons has been strategically integrated into the site design to define the building’s entry court in a gesture of technological embrace.