Cornell Starts Construction on New Computer Science Building

Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, recently began construction on a new facility for the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science (Cornell Bowers CIS), according to a news release. The 135,000-square-foot building will play home to the departments of Computer Science, Information Science, and Statistics and Data Science, united within one complex for the first time. Local news reports that construction is scheduled for completion in 2025.

The new building will stand four stories and connect to the existing Bill & Melinda Gates Hall. The ground floor will feature central gathering spaces like a café, commons, interactive classroom, large builder labs, a maker space, and an outdoor courtyard, according to the news release. The three research floors will be divided into two wings containing research offices, computational labs, and collaborative space. Dean Kavita Bala said that the new facility will “expand opportunities for student research and experiential learning with new research initiatives that will position us for continued world leadership in tech.”

The university partnered with Leers Weinzapfel Associates for the building’s design. According to a 2022 university news story, the structure was designed with sustainability in mind and uses high-performance building materials and practices including carbon reduction, water conservation, energy use reduction, and an integrated landscape.

“Our goal is to create a place for both the dynamic exchange of ideas and for quiet, focused research,” said Andrea Leers, Principal-in-Charge.

“There’s a huge intellectual benefit from having the departments together as a coherent and collaborative whole,” said Bala in 2022. “The inspiration that results from working close together and serendipitously meeting each other is going to have a huge positive impact on seeing new kinds of ideas that cross disciplines and department boundaries.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Three U.S. Universities Install Acre Security Access Control Platform

    Cloud-native physical and digital security solutions company Acre Security recently announced that it has deployed its access control platform at three major universities in the U.S., according to a news release. Acre partnered with Atrium Campus to provide coverage for more than 69,000 students at the University of Virginia (UVA), George Mason University, and Rockhurst University.

  • Kraus-Anderson Completes Improvements at Minnesota Middle, High Schools

    Construction management, real estate, and risk management firm Kraus-Anderson recently announced that it has finished two K–12 renovation projects in Minnesota, according to a news release.

  • University of Southern Mississippi Starts Construction on Oyster Hatchery

    The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) recently announced that construction has begun on a new oyster hatchery at its Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center (TCMAC) Cedar Point campus in Ocean Springs, Miss., according to a news release.

  • North Dakota State University Completes Music School Renovation

    North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D., recently announced that construction on the Challey School of Music has finished, according to a news release. The university partnered with Foss Architecture & Interiors for design and Kraus-Anderson for construction services, and construction began in July 2024.

Digital Edition