Breaking New Ground

The School of Computer Science Complex will make a striking architectural statement about the future of computer science research and education at Carnegie Mellon. Located on Forbes Avenue, adjacent to Newell-Simon Hall, and opposite the Collaborative Innovation Center, the SCS Complex will be a nexus for the campus, connecting the historic campus and the Cut with the Oakland neighborhood.

The large auditorium and conference spaces will be a resource for the school and the university. Imaginative landscaping will further enhance the Complex, creating an inviting and appealing new entrance for the campus.

The SCS Complex consists of two buildings: the Gates Center for Computer Science (focusing on student life and learning) and the Hillman Center for Future-Generation Technologies. The SCS Complex will be a "green" building, meeting or exceeding U.S. LEED Silver standards, in keeping with the university's commitment to sustainable practices. The SCS Complex is designed to create an open, collaborative setting for learning.

Launched with a lead gift of $20 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Center will be the home for undergraduate computer science, with classrooms, collaborative work spaces, study rooms, and student organization spaces. The Gates Center and the adjoining research building will be the setting for far-reaching explorations that push the boundaries of knowledge and develop tools and applications - in robotics, language technologies, machine learning, human-computer interaction and other areas - that will transform life and work in the decades ahead.

Related: Profile of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation