1385 Washington Student Apartments

Project overview

Sage Engineering Associates, LLP provided full mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering design services for the construction of a large-scale private student housing development located directly across from the main entrance to the University at Albany campus. The project consists of approximately 322 beds arranged within 106 apartment units, each permitted for single-resident occupancy and designed to meet contemporary student housing expectations.

Each unit was designed with a private bathroom for every bed, shared kitchens with full-size appliances and durable finishes, and common living areas to support student interaction and extended occupancy patterns. Building amenities include a below-grade parking garage, concierge services, fitness facilities, individual study spaces, and indoor and outdoor communal gathering areas.

The mechanical systems were designed to balance individual tenant comfort with energy efficiency and operational simplicity. Each apartment is served by an individual high-efficiency gas-fired furnace with direct-expansion cooling, allowing independent temperature control while minimizing system complexity. Centralized domestic hot water systems support peak residential demand, and energy recovery ventilation was incorporated to reduce heating loads while maintaining indoor air quality throughout the building.

Electrical design included individual metering for each apartment to support tenant billing and energy accountability, along with robust power distribution to support modern student living, common amenities, life safety systems, and building security infrastructure. Fire protection systems were designed in full compliance with NFPA requirements and integrated with the building fire alarm and life safety systems. This project reflects Sage Engineering’s extensive experience delivering high-density student housing with durable, code-compliant systems that emphasize occupant comfort, energy performance, and long-term maintainability in an urban campus-adjacent environment.