Syracuse University unveils design ideas for Newhouse III

Syracuse University unveils design ideas for Newhouse IIIJune 16, 2004Amy Schmitzaemehrin@syr.edu

On June 10, Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw, Associate of the Chancellor Mary Ann Shaw and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Dean David Rubin were joined by Donald and Sue Newhouse and Polhsek Partnership Architects to reveal preliminary designs for Newhouse III. The early designs include plans for glass walls and ceilings, community spaces for faculty and students and a 400-seat auditorium.

“The fundamental operating designs for Newhouse III are connectivity, a social heart and memory,” says Tomas Rossant, an associate partner at Polshek, the firm that is designing and building Newhouse III. “Externally, we want to respect the access in and around the building from the Maxwell building down to Marshall Street. We aim to maintain the pedestrian walkways that are found throughout the SU campus.”

Approximately 200 people, mostly Newhouse faculty and staff, were in attendance to see the firm’s PowerPoint presentation and tabletop model showing the new building’s relationship to the rest of campus.

Rossant emphasized some of the problems of the existing two Newhouse buildings, such as the difficulty of maneuvering from one building to the next, tight spaces and the lack of community spaces.

“With an eye to overcoming these challenges, we hope to creative a building that is dynamic and reflects the vitality of Newhouse to the world,” says Rossant. The architects say the new building will create the opportunity for the complex to have “noisy” areas and “quiet” areas for people to gather. There will also be smaller nooks and crannies in the structure for single students or for two or three people to meet. Additionally, the food.com snack bar will be expanded.

The Newhouse School put together a space proposal and submitted it to Chancellor Shaw in 1999. In April 2003, the school received a commitment of $15 million from the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation to use toward expanding the Newhouse School. Since then, the school has raised an additional $3 million. The new building is expected to cost about $27 million.

Newhouse III, at 70,000-square-feet, will take over the Q-6 parking lot and the area next to the Newhouse complex which currently holds satellite dishes. Polshek also strives to create more green spaces around the complex.

The June 10 presentation was billed as an “architectural idea” and not a final design; groundbreaking is scheduled to begin in March 2005 and construction should be complete by Dec. 2006. Finalized design plans will be presented closer to the groundbreaking, which is expected to take place in the Fall 2004 semester.