The Gira Center for Communications and Information Technology (CCIT) forges connections among previously dispersed academic departments and encourages the public to engage with its programs and spaces. The form and layout of this striking and transparent facility maximizes chance encounters, opportunities for learning, and exposure to the rest of campus. Facades of brick and precast concrete are designed to bridge the university’s modern and traditional architecture. The building unifies the most technology-intensive disciplines and encourages interaction between departments. A cylindrical, multimedia learning center incorporates a planetarium for visits by school children and the public.