Receives Distinguished Award for Architecture (even before completion)

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced the winners of the annual design competition held by its Columbus chapter and NBBJ, a leading global architecture and design firm, has received a Merit Award for its work on our College of Education and Human Services building.

A five-judge panel led by Scott Erdy of Erdy McHenry Architecture in Philadelphia selected a total of eight winners, three in the Honor and five in the Merit category. The CSU building is the only award winner that has not been completed. It is slated to open in the spring of 2010.

The $36 million building will serve as a center for collaborative learning and innovative teaching and learning, and will stand as an iconic eastern gateway to the CSU campus. Its environmentally friendly and sustainable design will feature digital interconnectivity and be well-suited for flexibility and future growth.

The approximately 97,000 square-foot building will feature:

• A predominately glass exterior;
• Twenty technologically state-of-the-art instructional rooms;
• A technologically enhanced central public forum space where students, faculty, the community and leaders in education and nursing can gather to present, share and discuss relevant issues;
• Gathering spaces outfitted with the latest technology where groups of students and faculty can collaborate, share and relax;
• Cutting-edge computer, math education and science education laboratories;
• Clinical areas where students of the College will get supervised practice and experience in teaching, counseling and tutoring;
• Inviting outdoor garden spaces connecting the building with Fenn Tower to the west and the Health Sciences building to the north.

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