Fashion Institute of Technology launches construction project Oct. 17. (Design and Development).

In the most ambitious construction project undertaken by the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) State University of New York since 1975, FIT is launching a major two-phase construction initiative. The start of Phase I will be marked with a groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 17 on the FIT campus, located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, for two new buildings scheduled to be completed in December 2003.

When the full 10-year, two-phase plan is complete, 300,000 SF of new space will have been added, and 400,000 SF of space will have undergone renovation. This expansion of the FIT campus is critical, as according to 1992 SUNY standards, a 258,000-SF shortfall exists.

"Construction of new buildings, along with expansion and renovation of existing facilities, will allow the college to continue to grow and respond to the needs of the college community and the industries it serves," said Dr. Joyce F. Brown, president of FIT. "Modernization of our existing facilities will continue to keep our students in the forefront, prepared for careers in the industry."

Phase I is starting with simultaneous construction of two new buildings designed by the architectural firm of Kevin Hom + Andrew Goldman, PC. The total cost of the two buildings will be $19 million, with half of the funds provided by New York State and the other half equally divided between the City of New York and private donors. The entire Phase I plan is budgeted at $50 million.

The East Courtyard Conference Center, located on West 28th Street and Seventh Avenue, adjacent to the Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, will consist of nearly 21,000 SF occupying two floors and a roof garden. The entrance will be on West 28th Street, making it the first building on campus to open onto this street.

The building will be constructed of limestone with red and charcoal banding and a glass front that will add light to West 28th Street in the evening. The building will include a great hall, conference center, and rooftop garden. The 6,381-SF great hall, designed as a double-height space with cascading ceiling and an occupancy of 639, will provide flexible space for fashion shows, events, lectures, exhibits, and informal gatherings. The lower level conference center will be a state-of-the-art academic facility for executive studies, seminars, industry training-programs, and small business outreach programs, sponsored by the college's School of Continuing and Professional Studies. The rooms will vary in size from small seminar spaces to rooms that comfortably fit fifty people.

The West Courtyard Food Pavilion, located between the campus's David Dubinsky Student Center and the Business and Liberal Arts Center, will include a 17,000-SF student dining facility seating 550 people on the street level and an 8,000-SF bookstore on the lower level. The relocation of the commuter and residential student dining halls from the fifth and sixth floors of the Student Center to a dedicated space at street level will enhance campus life by creating a more convenient, centralized meeting and eating space for the FIT community. The dining hall will open onto the campus, allowing for indoor-outdoor student events. The new bookstore will also be accessible from the street, making it more convenient for the community. The current dining halls on the fifth and sixth floors of the David Dubinsky Student Center will be renovated into academic space.

Additional Phase I projects include Streetscape, the creation of a pedestrian mall and campus commons on West 27th Street, and the extension and subsequent renovation of the Marvin Feldman Center, a primary academic facility. FIT has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts' New Public Works initiative to fund a design competition for the extension of the Marvin Feldman Center.

Phase II projects, which are expected to exceed $100 million, will take place in years six to ten of the expansion plan and are under development.

The architectural firm of Kevin Hom + Andrew Goldman, PC specializes in the design of educational and recreational facilities. Recent projects have included the $21 million SUNY Stony Brook Student Center and the $23 million Binghamton University Student Union.

The first FIT building to be constructed was the Marvin Feldman Center, which broke ground on Feb. 7, 1956 and was completed in 1959. The rest of the campus was completed in 1975. This is the first major construction project since that time.