A group of world-renowned architects converged on FairOaks Mall, all with an identical mission.
Five architecture firms from around the United States traveled to Columbus Friday to present design concepts for the proposed 80,000-square-foot building that will replace Ivy Tech Community College’s Poling Hall.
In November, the college announced a collaboration with the Cummins Foundation as Ivy Tech plans to build a $32 million new main campus building to replace the aging Poling Hall in the Columbus AirPark.
“We get to start from scratch and create what is that 21st and 22nd century building where students can come, learn, get educated and collaborate in new ways as opposed to being stuck in these old cinder block walls that have been designed for almost 18th and 19th century instruction,” said Steven Combs, Ivy Tech Columbus chancellor.
Ivy Tech Columbus has tried for several years to secure funds from the State of Indiana to renovate the current Columbus campus or build a new building, Combs said. The school came closest to being selected in 2017 but was bumped down in priority after the Ivy Tech Kokomo campus was struck by a tornado.
The Indiana Legislature approved funding for the new Columbus building earlier this year. The funding is designated in the 2019-2021 Indiana state biennial budget.
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
