DePaul Upper Falls Square Recognized with 2020 Excelsior Awards Honor Award

SWBR is pleased to announce that DePaul Upper Falls Square Apartments has been recognized with the 2020 Excelsior Awards Honor Award from the New York State American Institute of Architects. This prestigious award recognizes the project’s overall performance, how it impacts the user, the community, and design excellence, all within the context of a publicly funded project.

At 143,000 square feet, Upper Falls Square brings quality affordable housing to Rochester’s Upper Falls neighborhood, while serving DePaul’s mission of improving people’s lives and their community ties by offering clean, safe homes, and an array of support services.  It spans two city blocks and is one of the largest single developments ever undertaken by DePaul. 

“The DePaul Upper Falls Square Apartments are an example of partnership and progress in action, providing the highest quality housing and supportive services to people in need while creating a sense of community and contributing toward the neighborhood revitalization of Rochester's Hudson Avenue corridor,” said DePaul President Mark Fuller. “We are so very proud, along with our project partners and funders, to be recognized as a recipient of a 2020 Excelsior Awards Honor Award.”

The Excelsior Awards, an AIA New York State partnership with New York State contracting agencies, provides a model of excellence for state-funded building design, professional practice, and advocacy. The projects reflect the collaborative efficacy of the design and construction team.

SWBR provided architectural, structural engineering, landscape architecture, and interior design services for the project.

“SWBR is proud to have partnered with DePaul on this amazing and transformative project,” says SWBR Principal Joe Gibbons, AIA.  “Upper Falls Square will truly provide a positive impact for many residents in the CONEA neighborhood of Rochester for many years to come.  This project also demonstrates DePaul’s tremendous continued commitment to sustainability in affordable housing as it was recently certified by the US EPA as an Energy Star multifamily project and exceeded the requirements of the NYS Housing Finance Agency’s Climate Bond Initiative.”

About SWBR:

SWBR is a multidisciplinary, award-winning design firm headquartered in Rochester, New York. As a highly respected national firm consistently providing leadership, expertise, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking the firm specializes in sustainability, education, housing and workplace design. With offices in Rochester and Syracuse SWBR aims to positively impact lives through meaningful design. To learn more visit swbr.com or SWBR’s social media sites on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter.