Carnegie Mellon University's
computer science school has a new home in the Gates Center for Computer Science and the Hillman Center for Future-Generation Technologies.
The $98.6 million project was dedicated Tues., Sept. 22 with a keynote address by Microsoft chairman and building namesake Bill Gates. The construction was made possible through a $20 million gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a $10 million gift from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation.
The complex, which occupies 5.6 acres on the west portion of CMU's 140-acre campus, was designed by Atlanta, Ga.-based Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, and landscaped by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Cambridge, Mass. P.J. Dick, Inc. served as the construction management firm.
"This is one of the most prestigious schools of computer science in the world, filled with the most creative people," says architect Mack Scogin. "The purpose of this building is to encourage and support their activities. It's as simple and as complicated as that."
The modern glass-and-zinc complex, which is in sharp contrast to the campus' traditional yellow-brick look, comprises 217,000 square-feet of interior space, including 10 classrooms, 310 offices (all with windows), 29 project rooms/labs, 8,000 square-feet of open project space and nearly 20,000 square-feet of white board work space. It also features a state-of-the-art, open source computer lab made possible through a grant from Red Hat, Inc.; a café to be operated by Highland Park coffee shop Tazza D'Oro; and the 246-seat Rashid Auditorium, named for former CMU faculty member Rick Rashid who is now senior vice president for research at Microsoft.
The interconnected buildings, which are designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, feature five green roofs, and--when the landscaping is complete--will more than double the amount of green space that previously existed on the site.
The centers are connected to each other and the rest of campus with enclosed and outdoor walkways, including the Randy Pausch Memorial Bridge, which links the Gates Center to the Purnell Center for the Arts.
Writer: Caralyn Green
Sources: Byron Spice, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University; Mack Scogin, architect
Photograph courtesy of Carnegie Mellon University