The purpose of the study was to create a well-considered and achievable plan for staff and students to occupy SUNY dormitories as safely as possible.

To ensure that staff and students could occupy SUNY dormitories as safely as possible in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) selected our professionals, in partnership with The Pike Company, to study and develop a series of repeatable guidelines that could be applied to facilities across the State University of New York’s (SUNY) campus footprints.

The renovations proposed in the report are based on Jones Hall at SUNY Geneseo, which is a 1960s era dormitory that was selected by DASNY to be representative of of facilities across all its campuses. The building lacks a central HVAC system and the toilet rooms were mostly single large rooms with multiple plumbing fixtures in each. The study prioritized the installation of an HVAC system to provide ventilation air and convert bathrooms into single use toilet/shower rooms.

The recommendations provided in the report were grouped into one of five focus areas, and include projected scheduling and costs with the goal for rapid implementation. Those focus areas included:

• Site assessment
• Spatial and material improvement recommendations
• Code review, including ADA accessibility and universal design improvements
• Constructibility scheduling and cost estimates
• Increase ventilation air brought into the building