Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Cornell Starts Construction on New Computer Science Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/01/23

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

  • Health & Science Building

    Health & Science Building

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Health & Science Building has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Wold Completes Geothermal Projects at Two Minnesota Schools

    Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has completed two geothermal expansion projects for Mounds View Public Schools in Shoreview, Minn., according to a news release. The work at Highview Middle School and Irondale High School serves the district’s long-term goal of reducing energy costs and dependency on non-renewable fuel sources, as well as improving building performance.

  • Tomball ISD Opens New Tomball West High School

    Tomball Independent School District in Tomball, Texas, recently celebrated the official opening of Tomball West High School, the district's third comprehensive high school, with a community ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to a district news release.

  • Fargo, N.D., Starts Construction on Consolidated Elementary School

    Fargo Public Schools in Fargo, N.D., recently announced the beginning of construction on a new elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with ICON Architectural Group and Kraus-Anderson Construction on the new Horace Mann Elementary School.