Owego Apalachin Central School District Business Administration Building

Project Type: Education K-12

Location: owego, nY

Services: Architecture, Engineering, Interior Design,

Size: 15,000 SF

One day into the 2011-2012 school year, Tropical Storm Lee changed
the community of Owego forever.  The district had four of its buildings
destroyed by the waters of the 2011 flooding while sustaining significant
damage to others. 

Highland Associates was on site within days of the initial flooding. 
Working hand in hand with the District, FEMA, New York State Education
Department, and the State of New York, Highland designed three new
buildings to replace the four buildings lost to the storm.  One of those
buildings was the new Business Administration Building. The building
replaces the offices on Talcott Street that were severely damaged by the
food waters.  The new site is located above the food plain and centrally
situated, serving as a hub on the Owego campus, surrounded by the
District’s buildings and grounds which it serves. 

The new, two-story, steel frame, 15,000 square foot building includes offices for approximately 15 employees, including the Superintendent, Business Administrator, and administrative support staff.  Open, day-lit lobby areas create casual and comfortable meeting spaces while private, fully
equipped conference rooms allow for collaborative meetings requiring
conference call and video conferencing capabilities.  A technology-rich
boardroom for the Board of Education and public meetings was designed
to incorporate state-of-the-art audio visual equipment, lighting, shading and climate control with space to accommodate sixty people, and offers
views out to the District’s grounds through its large civic style windows.

Natural stone flooring and accent walls as well as warm wood plank
ceilings were selected for their durability and sustainable qualities.  The
exterior envelope combines stone and brick to ft contextually within the
sprawling campus and signifies the resiliency of the district through its
strong masses. Much of these exterior materials find their way to the
inside, allowing for a strong connection to be made between outside and
in. This becomes very apparent due to the large expanses of glass that
allow one to see this connection, whether inside or outside the building’s
footprint.