7/16/2012 4:38:00 PM

Times Union: Nano going downtown

Times Union

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ALBANY — The city's landmark, century-old Union Station, vacant for two years since a bank pulled its operations, is getting new life as offices that may help create nanotechnology to make cities run better.

On Monday, the UAlbany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering announced part of the station will be home to the top leadership of the Colonie-based CHA engineering firm, formerly known as Clough Harbour & Associates.

The 100,000-square-foot station has been vacant since 2010, when Bank of America left during the depths of the financial recession. CHA will lease about 10,000 square feet and move 30 of its executives to the station from the company's current headquarters, said CHA Chief Executive Officer Ray Rudolph.

"This provides us with exciting new opportunities to continue to expand our services in clean-energy technology and advanced manufacturing," he said. The move will take place by the end of the year.

Also, the NanoCollege announced an agreement with Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region, an Albany-based, not-for-profit social services agency that promotes inner-city education, to create nano-related education and job training for students.

Alain Kaloyeros, senior vice president and CEO of the NanoCollege, said partnerships with CHA and Trinity will focus on "smart cities" technologies, including sensors and computer chips, integrated systems and operating software to collect and analyze data for such applications as highway conditions, infrastructure like bridges and utilities, and security for educational settings.

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