Ithacating in Cornell Heights

The new 12,000 SF Community Practice Service building is fully framed, sheathed in plywood, and appears to be coated in a dark blue water resistive barrier (WRB). Most of the structure is wood frame, with some lightweight structural steel used to frame the canopies over the front and rear entries. Windows have yet to be fitted in the rough openings, and the plastic sheet covers might be for worker protection from the elements as G. M. Crisalli and its subcontractors work on interior rough-ins. HVAC roof equipment is in place, but the sheets on the roof suggest the final material has yet to be applied (perhaps EPDM synthetic rubber or a similar membrane). The front parking lot is already paved and striped, and as shown back in September, the concrete sidewalk has been poured and is nearly complete. Variations in facade materials (flat and corrugated aluminum, wood panels/wood-like fiber cement panels) will help to break up the structure’s bulk as it heads towards completion. The new CPS Building, designed by Ithaca’s HOLT Architects, should be open by May 2018.