bizjournals.com
Donna Collins
July 29, 2021
Each year, Buffalo Business First honors the best in real estate, construction and development in Western New York. The UB Autonomy Center was selected as a finalist in the Collegiate Category.
UB Autonomy Center
Autonomy center at UB
Project: This is an enclosed drone-testing facility where University at Buffalo professors, students and partners can conduct experiments on uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). The experiments on the UAVs will be used in research on autonomous technology, sensors and surveillance, small parcel delivery, logistics and drone fleets. The research facility, dubbed SOAR (Structure for Outdoor Autonomy Research), is 120 by 200 feet and 86 feet tall, and is believed to be the third largest outdoor-enclosed drone-testing facility in the nation. The Autonomy Center will place UB at the forefront of research and education and will aid in the advance of cutting-edge solutions that can improve everything from commerce and national security to emergency response and agriculture.
Address: Sprague Road (UB North-Crofts Lot), Getzville
Square footage: 24,000
Owner: University at Buffalo
Architect/engineers: DiDonato Associates Engineering & Architecture PC
General contractor: Rodriguez Construction Group Inc.
Other contractors: Gorilla Netting, Buffalo Drilling Co., Woodsmith Fence
Timeline: June-Oct. 2020
Cost: $825,000
