Last modified: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
New Cyberinfrastructure Building to serve as gateway to Bloomington’s growing technology park
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie will preside over the groundbreaking ceremony for IU Bloomington's new Cyberinfrastructure Building at 11 a.m. Thursday (April 29). The ceremony will take place at 10th Street and the Indiana State Road 45/46 Bypass.
The Cyberinfrastructure Building, referred to as the CIB, joins the IU Data Center and the IU Innovation Center in the evolving technology park at 10th and the Bypass in Bloomington.
With 123,000 gross square feet and a 250-person, reconfigurable multipurpose space off the atrium, the CIB is designed to be the social hub of the tech park area. Visitors will join resident information technology experts for frequent collaboration and networking opportunities in the high performance, green facility.
"This structure is an essential component to Indiana University's commitment to providing its faculty and students with the very best information technology resources possible," McRobbie said. "It will create synergies among researchers, faculty, staff and students by serving as a central location for collaboration and sharing of resources. It will also play a key role in our efforts to attract new technology-based opportunities and investments to Bloomington."
As the long-anticipated replacement for Wrubel Computing Center, the CIB will be home to the majority of Bloomington's University Information Technology Services (UITS) staff, relocating administration from the heart of the main campus and enabling further development of both the academic core and the Bloomington tech park.
"The CIB points to the future of smart buildings at IU and beyond," noted IU Vice President for Information Technology and CIO Brad Wheeler. "The building's efficient approach to space usage follows the best practices of leading Silicon Valley and Indiana firms, while modeling sustainability through power savings, daylight harvesting, and other measures aimed at garnering silver -- if not gold -- LEED certification. Its space is designed for the mobile, team-oriented work of IT professionals."
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is designated by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Among other high-profile university and community leaders, the groundbreaking ceremony will feature Diana Oblinger, president and CEO of EDUCAUSE. As a member of the National Science Foundation's Advisory Committee on Cyberinfrastructure, Oblinger has long-championed sustainable IT projects and the greening of information technology.
"Sustainability and the growing role of IT for universities are both compelling topics of our time. With the construction of its new Cyberinfrastructure Building, Indiana University is showing leadership on both," said Oblinger. "I commend IU's ongoing sustainability efforts in this new home for its excellent IT staff."
Building planners are making considerable efforts to preserve trees and pedestrian walkways as part of the CIB's ecologically enhanced landscaping. Emphasizing access to and from the footpath along 10th Street, the CIB will also feature indoor and outdoor bike parking.
"The groundbreaking ceremony will culminate extraordinary work on behalf of many at IU, and in partnership with several firms who collaborated on the design to ensure that staff and community needs are met," said Wheeler. "We are immeasurably grateful to President McRobbie and the IU Trustees for their vision and unfailing support."
The University Architect's Office currently estimates the building will be finished in late 2011. The CIB's architect is SmithGroup. The University Architect's Office project manager is Frank Young.
To speak with Brad Wheeler or for more information about the groundbreaking ceremony, please contact Julie Wernert at 812-856-5517 or jwernert@indiana.edu. For CIB updates following the groundbreaking, see: https://it.iu.edu/cib.
