Carnegie’s Mellon University’s new
School of Computer Science (SCS) Complex is one steel beam closer to completion.
The placement of the $100 million facility’s final beam was marked during a Sept. 29 topping-off ceremony. Construction of the 200,000-square-foot SCS Complex, which includes the Gates Center for Computer Science and Hillman Center for Future-Generation Technologies, began in 2007 after the project received a $20 million lead gift from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In February 2008, the
Hillman Foundation provided the project with $10 million. The complex will open by fall 2009.
Linking Carnegie Mellon’s east and west campuses, the complex will house labs, classrooms, offices, a 250-seat auditorium and 8,000 square feet of open project space. Located on a 5.6-acre Forbes Ave. site, the complex is near the new
Collaborative Innovation Center, which houses Google and Intel.
“The goal is connectivity to the rest of campus and having an innovative space that people want to come to. Interesting spaces need to be open and collaborative,” says Guy Blelloch, with Carnegie Mellon. “The project space is very dynamic and surrounded by windows.” The global innovation facility will support Carnegie Mellon’s research agenda and attract top students and faculty.
Designed by Atlanta-based
Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam, the complex will seek LEED-Gold certification. A trapezoidal structure facing Forbes will serve as the facility’s entrance. Organized around an outdoor winter garden, the buildings will be connected by a four-story lobby and pedestrian walkways. The complex will feature green roofs and landscaping designed by
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates.
A Randy Pausch memorial bridge will connect the new SCS complex to Carnegie Mellon’s
Purnell Center for the Arts.
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Writer:
Jennifer Baron
Source: Guy Blelloch, professor and Byron Spice, media relations, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Image courtesy Carnegie Mellon University