In 2018, Chiang O’Brien was engaged by the State University Construction Fund (SUCF) to provide design services for a complete renovation of Louis Marshall Memorial Hall on the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) campus. The project also included a series of enabling projects for Illick Hall to create permanent new homes for laboratories housed in Marshall Hall that would no longer be accommodated in that building.

The Illick Hall Mycology Lab renovation is a clean, modern retrofit that creates a new Mycology Lab, a dedicated room for six to eight microscopes, and an equipment room. Details include replacing the ceiling and floor tiles, light fixtures, doors and frames, and lab casework. 

As a result of the complete renovation of Marshall Hall, a permanent new space for the Shared Terrestrial Ecology labs was also required. The 5,240 square foot renovation provides new laboratory space for Dendrochronology, Geospatial, and Soils on the third floor and sub-basement of Illick Hall. Multiple meetings were held with the department chairs and faculty who use each space to develop design layouts for specific research requirements and internal workflow. Details include custom casework; a custom dust collection system for sifting of soils; large, high-temperature ovens; a sterilization tub for aquatic equipment; and special lighting to facilitate research activities, such as examining tree rings and soil samples.