Buffalo, NY — The LiRo Group (LiRo), serving as construction manager in a joint venture with Gilbane Building Company, architect HOK, and general contractor LPCiminelli have completed the new, ultra-modern building for the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo (UB), for the State University Construction Fund (SUCF). At 628,000 s/f, it is the largest recently constructed medical education building in the United States, and the largest new building to have been erected in downtown Buffalo in decades. The eight-story structure was designed and built using sustainable materials and methods, with the goal of obtaining LEED Gold certification.According to Luis Tormenta, PE, LiRo’s CEO and vice chairman, “LiRo is proud to have overseen the construction of this world-class, $375 million hub for life science, technological innovation, and learning. We have delivered to the University at Buffalo an ultramodern facility that will serve its students, faculty, researchers, and the community for a long time to come.”The Jacobs School was the first project to receive funding through the NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant Program, an initiative to spur economic growth throughout New York while simultaneously strengthening the academic programs of its public universities and colleges, to elevate SUNY as a catalyst for regional economic development and affordable education. UB received $35 million in 2011 for the new building, administered through the Empire State Development Corporation and SUCF.