Construction recently began on Cornell University’s new 135,000-sf building for the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science (Cornell Bowers CIS). Designed by Boston-based Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the structure will bring together the departments of Computer Science, Information Science, and Statistics and Data Science for the first time in one complex.
The new four-story structure in Ithaca, N.Y., will define a highly identifiable Bowers CIS precinct of continuous building and open space, creating a magnet attracting students from multiple disciplines across the entire university, according to a news release from Leers Weinzapfel Associates. The building’s three research floors connected to Gates Hall will float above a lively and active ground floor framing an outdoor space for daily use, small gatherings, and large ceremonies.
The two wings of the building will contain academic research offices and computational labs augmented by a suite of collaborative spaces on the three upper floors. At the ground level, a student “ramble” along the courtyard edge will provide a place for individual and small group study, while a café, commons, large interactive classroom, a series of large builder labs, and a maker space will provide areas for students to study and work on projects together.
A ribbon of faceted sculptural metal fins will wrap the three-story research floors, creating a distinct identity for the building while maintaining a sustainable limited window area.
“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, Leers Weinzapfel Associates. Since creating the Faculty of Computing and Information Science in 1999, Cornell has experienced continued student growth in the computing and information science fields.
Sustained dynamic growth and uniquely collaborative research fuels the college to develop state-of-the-art computing and information technologies, and to study and understand the societal and human impact of these technologies.
The project will incorporate sustainable development strategies to comply with the Ithaca Energy Code Supplement and NYStretch Energy Code.
On the team:
Owner and/or developer: Cornell University
Design architect: Leers Weinzapfel Associates
Architect of record: Leers Weinzapfel Associates
MEP engineer: BVH Integrated Services, A Salas O’Brien Company
Structural engineer: Thornton Tomasetti
General contractor/construction manager: LeChase
Related Stories
Libraries | Oct 30, 2024
Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library
DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.
Healthcare Facilities | Oct 18, 2024
7 design lessons for future-proofing academic medical centers
HOK’s Paul Strohm and Scott Rawlings and Indiana University Health’s Jim Mladucky share strategies for planning and designing academic medical centers that remain impactful for generations to come.
University Buildings | Oct 15, 2024
Recreation and wellness are bedfellows in new campus student centers
Student demands for amenities and services that address their emotional and mental wellbeing are impacting new development on college campuses that has led to recreation centers with wellness portfolios.
Higher Education | Oct 14, 2024
Higher education design for the first-gen college student
In this Design Collaborative blog, Yogen Solanki, Assoc. AIA, shares how architecture and design can help higher education institutions address some of the challenges faced by first-generation students.
University Buildings | Oct 9, 2024
Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences opens a new 88-acre campus
Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences has opened a new campus spanning 88 acres, over three times larger than its previous location. Designed by RDG Planning & Design and built by Turner Construction, the $260 million campus features technology-rich, flexible educational spaces that promote innovative teaching methods, expand research activity, and enhance clinical services. The campus includes four buildings connected with elevated pathways and totaling 382,000 sf.
University Buildings | Oct 4, 2024
Renovations are raising higher education campuses to modern standards
AEC higher ed Giants report working on a variety of building types, from performing arts centers and libraries to business schools. Hybrid learning is seemingly here to stay. And where possible, these projects address wellness and mental health concerns.
Museums | Oct 1, 2024
UT Dallas opens Morphosis-designed Crow Museum of Asian Art
In Richardson, Tex., the University of Texas at Dallas has opened a second location for the Crow Museum of Asian Art—the first of multiple buildings that will be part of a 12-acre cultural district. When completed, the arts and performance complex, called the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, will include two museums, a performance hall and music building, a grand plaza, and a dedicated parking structure on the Richardson campus.
Higher Education | Sep 30, 2024
Studio Gang turns tobacco warehouse into the new home of the University of Kentucky’s College of Design
Studio Gang has completed the Gray Design Building, the new home of the University of Kentucky’s College of Design. In partnership with K. Norman Berry Associates Architects, Studio Gang has turned a former tobacco warehouse into a contemporary facility for interdisciplinary learning and collaboration.
University Buildings | Sep 24, 2024
Texas Christian University opens new medical school building
The facility is designed and programmed to anticipate advances in medicine and technology.
Designers | Sep 20, 2024
The growing moral responsibility of designing for shade
Elliot Glassman, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, CPHD, Building Performance Leader, CannonDesign, makes the argument for architects to consider better shade solutions through these four strategies.
