SWBR Architects earns merit award by the Central NY Chapter of AIA; Design of the School at Springbrook in Oneonta

SWBR Architects was recognized by the Central NY Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) with a merit award for design of the School at Springbrook located at 105 Campus Dr. Springbrook, is a non-profit organization that supports over 800 individuals with development disabilities. They provide educational, residential, therapeutic, habilitation, and community support options for people of all ages, from birth through end of life. The design upgrades were part of Springbrook's Coming Home expansion that not only modernized the campus school facility but also created the new Tom Golisano Center for Autism. The expansion was made possible by the success of the largest capital campaign in the organization's history. Included in the project were a new gym, cafeteria and classrooms, and three specialized eight-bedroom residences. The improvements were all in an effort to have more space, better facilities, and improved services for the students supported by the School at Springbrook and to expand the reach of the school to better serve students with autism spectrum disorders. With the completion of the expansion and opening of the new Tom Golisano Center for Autism, Springbrook was able to bring students currently living out-of-state back home to New York State for the services they need. "Every detail of this expansion was done with the needs of the students and their families as our number one priority. Each campus change and addition is accessible, safe, and beautiful and has brought many families closer together," said Springbrook CEO, Patricia Kennedy. SWBR Architects provided led the professional design team with civil engineering, landscape architecture was completed by KFA in Syracuse and M/E/P Engineering was provided by M/E Engineering. SWBR, along with Kennedy and other representatives of Springbrook received the award at a recognition ceremony on November 16 at a dinner at Syracuse University. Of the 26 projects submitted to the Central NY Chapter of the AIA, 15 were determined by the jury as being worthy of recognition.