After its announcement in December of 2021, Siena’s Nobel Hall, the newest addition to the many buildings that line the Siena campus, is set to transform the education of students in both the School of Science and Siena as a whole. Students on the way to Rosetti Hall, MacClosky Square, or Roger Bacon Hall have watched the construction take shape over the course of the 2023-2024 school year as the frame of Nobel Hall grows taller each passing day. This past December, Siena students were even given the opportunity to place their signature on the final beam to be placed in Nobel Hall as an ode to the community that animates the campus.
Although students are able to see the building’s general progress, some details of the process are inevitably obscured by the fences and plastic tarps that surround the construction site. Some of the more recent updates include the steel crew’s work on the building’s general structure, including floor and stair systems, a start on the placement of concrete flooring slabs on each story of the building, and beginning work on the permanent water line of the building. The construction team is also preparing to install interior framing materials as well as fireproofing materials later this month. To ensure optimal construction conditions in the cold Loudonville winter, the first and second floors of the building are enclosed so heat can be provided to the hardworking construction team. As of February 2024, the Nobel Hall project is set to complete “Phase 1,” Nobel Hall itself, by the end of 2024 with a Spring 2025 opening. “Phase 2,” a litany of improvements on the existing Roger Bacon Hall, is currently in the design process, with construction dates estimated for the summers of 2025 and 2026.
Part of the team that has brought the vision of Nobel Hall to life includes Mr. Mark Frost, Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management at Siena, Mr. Bob Pistilli of Bold Prospects LLC, and Ms. Kelly Clarke Harrington, RA, Director of Design and Construction at Siena. Each one plays an integral part in the success of the facility’s short and long-term construction.
For Mr. Pistilli, his favorite part of construction so far has been “watching the building take shape.” Implicit in this process is an eye for detail: “I am relatively new to the building construction process, and it has been fascinating to learn about all the little things that most who aren’t experts take for granted. For example, the amount of preparation, calculation, measurement, and use of technology to pinpoint the precise location and pitch of stormwater drains is something I never imagined would be so intricate.” He speaks to the detail-oriented nature of the process: “Literally every individual task is intertwined and dependent on some other part of the whole process; one miscalculation can have an exponential domino effect.” The process does not come without challenges, as he notes that “the weather has not been kind. Even though work doesn’t necessarily stop for bad weather, it becomes so much more difficult to maintain safety, quality, and schedule adherence.” To Mr. Pistilli, the finished project will be well worth the hard work: “For me, I think seeing the students and faculty utilize this incredible new building to learn and teach about better ways to approach healthcare and preserve the environment [is what I am most looking forward to once it opens]. I was in healthcare in my previous professional life and understand the complexities it is facing and how, without fundamental changes, we all will be negatively affected. And, I love spending time outdoors and sincerely hope that we can preserve our open spaces and ensure that they remain available for future generations to enjoy.”
Mr. Frost’s favorite part of the process so far has been “observing the structural steel frame erection process.” As the building grows, he also highlights that there were and will be challenges, such as “getting the project started this spring and summer, getting the summer season work done before the fall semester started, and keeping the project on schedule as the project team works through our Upstate New York winter season.” As construction continues, the excitement around the “final project completion, commissioning of building systems, the ribbon cutting ceremony, and then of course full student and faculty utilization of the building” is what Mr. Frost is most looking forward to when Nobel Hall is finished. Mr. Frost assures that the community the project will transform Siena once it is completed through the work of every person on the design and construction teams: “The entire Nobel Hall project team, which includes our campus clients, the designers, the construction team, and in-house staff is committed to constructing a high-quality building for Siena College that will play a critical role in supporting the performance of our academic mission for the foreseeable future.”
Ms. Clarke Harrington, Director of Design and Construction at Siena, shares that for her, it is “always incredibly exciting to see the designs on paper materialize with the erection of the structural system. It feels like you are seeing the building for the first time.” As students may have noticed this year, one part of the Nobel Hall project included a summer parking lot redesign, which Ms. Clarke Harrington notes “was particularly challenging, due to compression of the schedule from permitting delays, challenging weather, and utilities discovered in the field.” She is “most excited to see the building filled with faculty and students operating as a mini community: taking classes, conducting research, and studying in groups.”
Ms. Clarke Harrington also underscored that this improvement to the Siena facilities will not only manifest in the new Nobel Hall building but all of Siena: “One aspect of the Nobel Hall project that may not be obvious to those who weren’t involved in the design phase is the impact that it will have on the entire science complex and the school as a whole. Through this project, we are making improvements that will improve the behind-the-scenes functionality of Morrell and Roger Bacon. There will be improved emergency power, water utilities, a new delivery loading dock, and improved handling of trash and recycling. The relocation of faculty members and programs out of other buildings on campus and into Nobel Hall will allow other programs to be unified in the empty spaces they left behind. The new plaza between Roger Bacon and Nobel Hall will be a great new place for students, faculty, and staff to use in the warm months. The new general-use classrooms will provide some breathing room for the whole campus. Everyone on campus will feel the benefits of this project, not just the School of Science.”
For community members interested in the ever-changing landscape around Nobel Hall, there is a live video feed of construction and frequent project updates available on Siena’s Construction Updates page. This page will be updated continuously throughout the construction process with developments as they occur.
A special thank you to Ms. Lisa Witkowski, Mr. Mark Frost, Mr. Bob Pistilli, and Ms. Kelly Clarke Harrington for their time and contributions to this article.