Ivy Tech Community College has selected IwamotoScott Architecture of San Francisco to design its new main campus building in Columbus.
Ivy Tech made the announcement Wednesday morning, selecting the architectural firm from five national firms that presented to the college at an architectural charrette in December. A grant from Cummins Foundation Architecture Program will pay the architectural design fee for Ivy Tech’s new building.
Ivy Tech Columbus is building a new main campus building at the Columbus AirPark to serve students in Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson and Jennings counties. The $32 million, 80,000-square foot structure will replace the aging Poling Hall.
Also named was the architect of record, CSO Architects, and the contractor, Pepper Construction, both based in Indianapolis.
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The college anticipates breaking ground in 2020 and taking occupancy in 2022.
“The team from IwamotoScott showed true vision for what the future of Ivy Tech in Columbus could look like,” said Ivy Tech Columbus Chancellor Steven Combs. “Their concepts of how to use available space for a modern and advanced campus were well received by our community and employees.”
Combs said the local campus is looking forward to partnering with IwamotoScott to design a main campus building that will be “welcoming to all, provides opportunities to everyone and complements our community’s architectural legacy.”
During December’s architectural charrette, representatives from IwamotoScott came in with three different proposals that Combs described as “phenomenal.”
In a telephone interview Wednesday, Combs said it was evident that the firm was “all in” on the Columbus campus project and what the new building could bring to the Columbus AirPark.
Combs said he was particularly impressed with the canopy design proposed by the architects, which would bring additional outdoor space that would lead into the indoor space.
Ivy Tech Columbus officials have to stick with the current square footage of Poling Hall for the new building, and this would be a way to add additional square footage without increasing the project’s footprint, he said.
And while no design is yet in place, Combs said he would like to see how outdoor space could be utilized in the design for the new building.
The Ivy Tech Columbus project is particularly significant to the city, in that the Cummins Foundation is picking up the architecture design fee. That’s in the same way many prominent buildings were designed in Columbus in past decades through the efforts of Cummins’ former Chairman and CEO J. Irwin Miller, who had a lifelong interest in architecture.
Noting that the vision for Columbus’ architectural heritage began with Miller, Ivy Tech officials said Miller understood that Cummins’ success in retaining the best and brightest employees was closely tied to the company’s ability to attract that talent to Columbus.
Tom Linebarger, Cummins chairman and CEO, said “every community Cummins is in should be benefiting because we’re there. Investing in communities is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do.”
The new Ivy Tech building is to be designed for the type of high-demand tech careers that Indiana employers are seeking talent for in the state, officials said.
“The Cummins Foundation is thrilled to welcome the addition of IwamotoScott into Columbus’ design heritage,” said Mary Chandler, vice president of corporate responsibility for Cummins and foundation chief executive officer. “Architecture is woven into the fabric of the Columbus community and is symptomatic of a larger vision — an aspiration to achieve excellence. This is echoed in IwamotoScott’s innovation and collaborative design process, making spaces that are functional, distinctive and beautiful.”
Lisa Iwamoto and Craig Scott, founding partners of IwamotoScott, said they are extremely honored to design Ivy Tech’s new 21st Century home.
The architectural firm has created innovative designs at all scales, with work ranging from art installations to interiors to buildings. Its client list includes Pinterest, Twitch, Bloomberg, Google, University of California, Berkley and University of California, San Francisco. The firm’s work has received more than 80 design awards and honors including the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award and 20 American Institute of Architects Design Awards at local, state and national levels.
“It is a true honor to be able to add to Columbus’ modern architectural heritage,” Iwamoto and Scott said.
Richard McCoy, Landmark Columbus executive director, said all five of the architectural firms considered for the Ivy Tech — Columbus project brought robust teams to Columbus to make their pitch.
“You could tell a project in Columbus mattered,” he said of the presentations.
On the selection of IwamotoScott, McCoy said the firm showed it had a deep understanding of the client and what the space could be, including understanding how the exterior space would flow inside the building.
The firm placed Ivy Tech’s visual communications program, along with its art galleries and exhibits of student work in the very center of the building — a reminder of an important offering at the university and what the space was all about, McCoy said.
“They really got the total design — they showed the landscaping, the parking lot, and how the graphic identity of Ivy Tech could be woven throughout the building,” McCoy said.
One of the designs showed “Ivy Tech” in plants, something McCoy described as “so California.”
Describing IwamotoScott as a fast-growing firm, McCoy said the choice also shows that the Cummins Foundation knows where architecture is going.
“My hope is that the building will be the next iconic building in Columbus,” McCoy said.
CSO Architects, the architect of record, has signature projects that include the Indianapolis International Airport, the JW Mariott Complex in Indianapolis, The Palladium in Carmel and Circle Centre in Indianapolis. In Columbus, the firm has worked on projects including The Commons, The Cole apartments, Central Middle School and Columbus North and East high schools. The firm has also worked on projects at Indiana University, Purdue University and Ball State University.
Pepper Construction Indiana’s first project was the $100 million main campus redevelopment and expansion for St. Vincent Hospital and Health Care Services in Indianapolis. The company has worked on more than 500 projects totaling over $3 billion in the state.
Ivy Tech Columbus is creating a website to help students, faculty and the community follow the new campus building process at ournewcampus.org. Combs plans to offer some notes on the progress of the project as it continues and the website will offer a live view of construction once work begins on the building.
Comb’s comments will be in a section on the website called “chancellor’s desk,” and will include updates on everything including the design, color palettes, furniture and more.
Combs said the project isn’t just a new main campus building, but actually a completely new campus for Ivy Tech — Columbus, with the new building becoming the entryway to the AirPark and to the entire Learning Center campus.
The effort with the new building is to make the new campus even more inviting and welcoming, Combs said.
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Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus is building a new main campus building at the Columbus AirPark on the city’s north side to serve students in Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson and Jennings counties. The $32 million, 80,000-square foot structure will replace the aging Poling Hall.
The college anticipates breaking ground in 2020 and taking occupancy in 2022.
Source: Ivy Tech
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IwamotoScott Architecture of San Francisco has created innovative designs at all scales, with work ranging from art installations to interiors to buildings.
Its client list includes Pinterest, Twitch, Bloomberg, Google, University of California, Berkley and University of California, San Francisco.
The firm’s work has received more than 80 design awards and honors, including the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award and 20 American Institute of Architects Design Awards at local, state and national levels.
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Ongoing updates about the construction of the new Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus main campus building will be posted at ournewcampus.org.
For more information on Ivy Tech, visit ivytech.edu.
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The Cummins Foundation was created in 1954, 35 years after Cummins was founded. It makes grants primarily at Cummins’ plant communities around the world and for projects that engage Cummins employees.
In 1957, the Cummins Foundation made its first grant to support architecture fees, for the Lillian C. Schmitt Elementary School, designed by Harry Weese.
The architecture program became a formal part of the Cummins Foundation in 1960 with a grant for Northside Middle School. It began with schools but later grew to encompass all facilities owned and operated by public tax dollars.
The program recommends architects and provides funds for the design portion of the architect fees for selected public projects to encourage architectural excellence in Bartholomew County.
More than 50 projects have been sponsored by the Cummins Foundation.
Source: Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus
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