285 Delaware Avenue,  Buffalo, NY 14202

The Challenge

Design and construction limitations due to a small urban site

• The 1.6-acre site needed to accommodate the building and 100 parking spots
• All construction work had to be contained on-site
• The building’s design had to attract Class A businesses, have a modern aesthetic, and co-exist with Delaware Avenue’s stately mansions

The Strategy

Develop a modern, Class A office building with a historic city of Buffalo address

Uniland held a design competition inviting firms to create a modern, Class A office building to accommodate both large and small office users, and blend with surrounding architecture. The winning firm worked with Uniland to value-engineer the project, and Uniland Construction handled all construction on a fixed budget based on projected revenue.

Uniland Construction made the tight site space function by working closely with suppliers and contractors to coordinate deliveries on an as-needed basis. When lake water from the site’s high water table infiltrated the excavation area, Uniland installed shoring and large pumps to ensure continued  construction progress.

Results

A downtown home to the area’s top financial institutions, including M&T Insurance Agency, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of M&T Bank.

Uniland’s design/build strategy allowed the company to deliver the building on time and under budget. When it was finished in spring 2007, four out of five floors were pre-leased. In 2008, the project won the New Office Building of the Year award from Buffalo’s leading business publication, Business First.