The Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design (CMACD) anchors the west edge of campus and brings together the Becker School of Design and Technology, and the departments of Computer Science and Visual and Performing Arts. The 70,000 GSF facility is transparent and inclusive, providing views from the new quadrangle into a welcoming lobby and multipurpose area that serves as the connective heart.

The building is organized around a collaborative core of common spaces framed by two transparent entries to create a rich, layered look with glass reveals to indicate welcoming entries. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrap the building, allowing natural daylight for interior spaces. The campus-facing facade’s window pattern is geometrically composed, reminiscent of both the pixelization and binary structure of technology and gaming. The design facing the surrounding residential neighborhood takes this context into consideration with a welcoming, scale-appropriate façade. The project is pursuing Net Zero and LEED Gold certification and is expected to rely primarily on geothermal wells to heat and cool.

Programming includes a multi-media gallery, AR/VR lab, video game library, robotics lab, incubator space, maker space, data science labactive learning and flexible classrooms, an incubator space, tiered classrooms, A/V production and recording areas, teaching spaces, offices, and collaboration spaces. The spaces embody the programs’ innovative technology and entrepreneurial mindset.