D’Youville University, Health Professions Hub

Watts worked with D’Youville University, Catholic Health, and other local consultant teams to construct a $24 million, five-story, Health Professions Hub. The Hub  serves as a clinic and higher education building on the D’Youville University Campus on the City’s West Side.

Watts provided civil engineering and landscape design services. Our team of Civil Engineers and our Landscape Architect were responsible for site hardscape, pavements, ADA walks and ramps; handrails, site utilities, storm water, storm water pollution prevention plan (SWPPP), sewer extension studies and coordination of site electrical utilities.  Watts coordinated site furnishing selections which included bike racks and site railings, by Architect and Campus on-site drawings. Watts assisted in development of the outdoor classroom seat walls, pedestrian ramps, stairs, and retaining walls.  Along with the City of Buffalo’s Forester for Landscape Improvements and the Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA), Watts developed a SWPPP and Sewer Extension Permitting, per City policies.

The team re-imagined portions of a surface parking lot and some abandoned buildings into the Health Professions Hub. Watts designed streetscape-level, community gathering spaces. These areas included bicycle racks, outdoor seating, and an outdoor classroom space. An underground detention infiltration system was utilized to reduce peak flow rates before it enters the City of Buffalo sewer system. A harmonious landscape plan was coordinated with the City’s landscape team. The planting palette utilizes low maintenance and geographically native landscaped options.  

Our team of professionals are proud of this thoughtfully collaborated project. This space has transformed the under-utilized area into a true hub where students, medical professionals, and community members come together to provide specialized medical services to individuals and families from surrounding neighborhoods undeserved by the healthcare industry, embedded in Buffalo’s West Side.