Klaus Advanced Computing Building

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The Klaus Advanced Computing Building, as seen from the southeast.
The Klaus Advanced Computing Building, as seen from the southeast.

The Christopher W. Klaus Advanced Computing Building is a three-story academic building at the Georgia Institute of Technology that houses a portion of its College of Computing, College of Engineering, and related programs.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Financing

In 2000, the building was financed by a $15 million donation from successful internet entrepreneur and Georgia Tech dropout, Chris Klaus.[1][2] Klaus was a founder of both Kaneva and Internet Security Systems.[3] At the time of Klaus' contribution, it was the fifth-largest contribution by an individual in Georgia Tech's history.[1] Klaus was 26 when he made the donation.[4]

[edit] Planning

Architect Perkins+Will was selected.[5] The site of the old Health Center was selected for the new computing building's location, and a new $7.1 million Health Center was built near the Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center to free up that land.[6] The Health Center faculty were then moved to the new facility in March 2003.[7] Construction was initially planned to start in Summer 2003, but there was some difficulty in the ownership of the many parcels that the site encompassed. Several were of uncertain ownership, and Georgia Tech had to verify that it owned every part of the site before the Georgia Board of Regents would allow construction to proceed.[8]

"[I]f you look at some old maps, way, way back when [Tech] was just a few buildings, these [parcels] were all home sites... Before the Board of Regents will allow anyone to build on a site, they have to have the deed in hand and know that the property belongs to the Board of Regents... That was a major, major issue for us... [W]e literally had to go through [each parcel] with the city and everybody else trying to reconcile who’s the owner."[8]

Construction bids were set in December 2003, and the winning contractor was scheduled to begin in early January.[8] General contractors WG Yates & Sons Construction received permission from the state to occupy the site in February 2004.[9] From that date, the project was expected to take two years to complete.[8]

[edit] Construction

There was a "Virtual Ground Breaking" ceremony on April 1, 2004 that featured a 3d virtual tour of the building.[10] Construction was then delayed somewhat by a rainy summer and a large amount of subsurface rock; the latter required the use of explosives to clear.[11]

"Students who attended classes in the summer felt frequent tremors in the College of Computing as the explosives were set off... [Construction project manager Ron] Leroy’s team sent out email notices and conducted meetings with faculty who would be affected by the blasts, but they still had a disruptive effect on classes in the area."[11]

Crews closed in the building in Summer 2005.[12] The building was officially opened on October 26, 2006.[13][14]

[edit] Features

The "Binary Bridge," so called because of the 1s and 0s on the glass. It is a pedestrian bridge that links the third floor of the Klaus building to the College of Computing Building. The binary on the glass spells "KLAUS" (without the quotations) repeatedly
The "Binary Bridge," so called because of the 1s and 0s on the glass. It is a pedestrian bridge that links the third floor of the Klaus building to the College of Computing Building. The binary on the glass spells "KLAUS" (without the quotations) repeatedly

The building has 414,000 square feet of space and more than 70 laboratories.[2][15] There is a three-story parking deck beneath the facility that holds 534 vehicles in order to minimize the number of surface lots on campus, and an open pathway through the center of the building that facilitates pedestrian traffic that would otherwise go around the building.[3]

It has been cited as environmentally friendly, and earned the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification. Several of those features include extensive green space (over 50 percent of the six-acre site), a storm water collection system that provides water for irrigation, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, waterless urinals, and extensive use of recyclables.[3]

[edit] Occupants

While it was initially planned to house both the College of Computing and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), the building's occupants are primarily from or related to the College of Computing; specifically, it is home to the College of Computing's School of Computer Science and Computational Science and Engineering Division, three research centers (GTISC, CERCS and ARC), and over 20 College of Computing Research Labs.[13][16]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Dykes, Jennifer. "REAL NEWS: Young entrepreneur donates $15 million to College of Computing", The Technique, 2000-03-31. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  2. ^ a b Dunn, John. "Tech Dedicates Klaus Advanced Computing Building", Buzz Words, Georgia Tech Alumni Association, November 2006. Retrieved on 2007-07-12. 
  3. ^ a b c Klaus Advanced Computing Building Grand Opening. Events. Georgia Tech College of Computing. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
  4. ^ Georgia Institute of Technology (2000-03-28). "Gen X High Tech Leader Donates $15 Million to Georgia Tech". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
  5. ^ "Klaus project construction crosses midpoint", The Whistle, 2005-06-20. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  6. ^ Reeves, Jason (2002-05-31). Health Center finds a new home. The Technique. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
  7. ^ "Health Center not worst building on Tech campus", The Technique, 2003-04-04. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  8. ^ a b c d Amick, Daniel. "Klaus computing building moves ahead after initial delay", The Technique, 2003-11-14. Retrieved on 2007-07-12. 
  9. ^ "Preparations begin on new computing facility", The Whistle, 2004-02-16. Retrieved on 2007-07-12. 
  10. ^ Georgia Institute of Technology (2004-03-24). "The Christopher W. Klaus Advanced Computing Building Virtual Ground Breaking Uses 3-D Digital Technology". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
  11. ^ a b Kantor, Arcadiy. "Klaus construction underway", The Technique, 2004-08-20. Retrieved on 2007-07-01. 
  12. ^ Cuneo, Joshua. "Following Master Plan, construction continues", The Technique, 2005-07-01. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  13. ^ a b Kaul, Vivas. "Klaus Building opens its doors to students", The Technique, 2006-11-03. Retrieved on 2007-07-12. 
  14. ^ Campell, Elizabeth. "Advanced computing facility fuels collaborative spirit", The Whistle, 2006-10-30. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  15. ^ Klaus Advanced Computing Building: Overview. Georgia Tech College of Computing. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
  16. ^ Klaus Advanced Computing Building: Labs & Research Spaces. Georgia Tech College of Computing. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.

[edit] External links

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