ALBANY, NY
FORMER ALBANY HIGH SCHOOL
IN DESIGN
This project involves the comprehensive renovation and adaptive reuse of the former Albany High School, constructed in 1912, to become the new College for Engineering and Applied Sciences at SUNY Albany’s Downtown Campus.
Based on extensive field investigations and archival research, Thaler Reilly Wilson’s scope of work includes the development of preservation hierarchy and prioritization in the building, as guidelines for developing the design; NYS code and building envelope analysis; and programming and space planning phase of the project.
One of the major challenges of the project is to develop a phased approach to renovation and occupation of the building, since SUNY will fill the 127,000 sf of space over the course of several years.
TRW’s efforts also include design, bid and construction phase services for the duration of the project, with a focus on the restoration of the building envelope.
Work at the interior includes complete rehabilitation of traditional secondary school spaces for use as modern college classrooms, offices, labs and support facilities, while restoring the historic features such as major corridors, entry foyers, stairways, skylights, and a 1200 -seat auditorium. It will also include disciplined coordination of systems integration within the historic fabric.