Times Union of Albany, NY
Section: CAPITAL REGION
Page: B1
Publication Date: Wednesday, October 4, 2000

Dome tops off DEC digs in style

By ALAN WECHSLER
Staff writer

It's not the sort of frivolity one expects to find on a building for state workers.

But there it is nevertheless, now playing on the skyline in downtown Albany: a dome of green glass and steel that tops the 15-story office building that will house the state Department of Environmental Conservation starting in March. The dome's only function: to spice up the roof with a dash of architectural curry.

``We knew the head of the building needed to be something special,'' said project architect Michael Phinney, who based the dome's design on a 1900s-era conservatory. ``So many buildings are just squared off, just to minimize expenses. There's no statement, no transition from the top (of the building) to the sky.''

Function, not form, has often dictated the structure of office buildings. But a landscape of generic blocks of mirrored glass and steel has helped prompt an interest in more challenging designs.

Strangely enough, there are two domes now being built in the Capital Region. The second is on the new Amtrak station in Rensselaer. Here, a glass cylinder atop the copper roof -- it looks like an observation tower, but it's really just for show -- will be topped by an all-copper dome. The glass cylinder will hold four 6-foot-wide clock faces, in classic ``Union Station'' design, and has added about $200,000 to the cost of the $48 million station.

``Towers have symbolic purposes,'' said architect Frank Gilmore of Stracher, Roth and Gilmore in Schenectady. ``They bring attention to important aspects of a piece of architecture, and they provide a landmark silhouette that helps identify and locate the facility.''

Work on the DEC building, which will cost $60 million and hold 1,800 people when complete, began more than three years ago. Phinney, now 27, had worked on a Thruway rest stop, a college dorm and a few other small projects, but never anything on this scale. With city planning officials and a team of colleagues -- especially firm partner Greg Seleman -- Phinney came up with the design.

From the roof of the building, it's easy to understand the inspiration for the big glass cap. Downtown Albany is full of spires, from Gothic church steeples and 100-year-old bank clock towers to the pinnacles of the State University building and the massive roof of the Capitol itself.

The DEC dome was originally to be just a steel structure to support satellite dishes and microwave towers. In the end, the dishes were moved down to the roof -- hidden from the ground by concrete walls. But no one wanted to see the dome go.

The structure itself is made up of flat, trapezoid-shaped sheets of 3/4-inch laminated glass bonded to a dome-shaped steel latticework. There will be nothing underneath but open space, and no access for the public.

Today, the dome is nearly complete. In about a month, before the big crane above the roof is removed, its last act will be to hoist a 30-foot aluminum spindle to the top of the dome -- a final piece of decoration, which will also function as a lightning rod.

From the beginning, builders here have contended with more than just costs. When the ground was first excavated, work stopped for several months to allow archaeologists to map and explore dozens of centuries-old stone foundations. More recently, architects were careful to match the brick-and-limestone facade with that of the 100-year-old building next door, the city's former Union Station.

And the office that will soon house the state's environmental agency is considered ``green,'' with heat-efficient windows and the use of recycled materials.

Not everyone appreciates the effort. Lester Hendrix, a state worker from across the street, said the dome was nice but he thought the building looked sloppy, with concrete slabs that didn't match and uneven spaces between sections.

But Jennifer Sabaday, who also works nearby, said she especially liked the dome.

``You can see it from everywhere,'' she said. ``Once it's done, it'll look beautiful.''

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