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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

School of Global and International Studies opens new building

caGISB

Starting this fall semester, students will be able to take classes at the new Global and International Studies Building, or GISB.

Located between the Wells Library and the Radio-TV Building, the GISB will serve as an interdisciplinary academic hub for the School of Global and International Studies.

The new building will also become home to the dean of the School of Global and International Studies, as well as his staff, according to the School of Global and International Studies website.

“The idea of the school itself was to bring together some historic strengths of Indiana University, which are area studies and foreign languages, and put them together so that they could form a school that would be unparalleled pretty much anywhere,” said Chuck Carney, the new director of communication and marketing at the School of Global and International Studies.

Previously, many of the departments within the School of Global and International studies were spread across campus, particularly in Ballantine Hall.

The GISB is the first opportunity to allow all of the departments under one roof, Carney said.

“Having everybody in one space is not just a convenience, it builds the intellectual capital,” Carney said. “It creates a space where you can really make something happen that might not have been possible before.”

With more than 30 classrooms and collaborative spaces, a 134-seat lecture hall, 350 faculty offices and multiple research and language resource centers, the GISB provides support space for eight departments and 20 academic programs, according to a fact sheet released by the School of Global and International Studies.

The building is also home to a three-story enclosed atrium, which will serve as an event and function space.

The atrium features an iconic “Stones of the World” wall, containing materials from nine countries on five continents.

The building’s stones represent Turkey, Australia, Israel, Spain, Pakistan, Brazil, Serbia, China and Angola, according to a fact sheet released by the School of Global and International Studies.

The GISB also makes use of state-of-the-art building systems and communication technology tools, such as interactive computer monitors in classrooms and a television studio space that faculty can use to connect to outside media.

“We can take our faculty or others here in the building and put them on air on the BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, anywhere at a moment’s 
notice,” Carney said.

The $53 million building, designed by New York City-based architectural firm Ennead Architects, LLP, was funded by existing IU 
revenue.

This is a combination of private funding and revenue from IU’s share of proceeds from the Big Ten Network contract, according to a fact sheet released by the School of Global and International Studies.

The building’s design is consistent with Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, or LEED, 
certification benchmarks, which serve as guidelines for operating environmentally responsible and resource-efficient facilities.

“All the materials we’ve used are low (Volatile Organic Compounds),” said Peter Goodwin, the GISB building manager.

Some of the building’s eco-friendly features 
include lighting and air systems that turn off or make adjustments depending on building occupancy and activity level within rooms.

“Theoretically, in any office in this building, even in the interior, you can work without your lights on,” Carney said. “It’s designed to use natural light in a great way.”

The GISB is currently in the process of acquiring LEED Gold certification.

This is considered the second-highest LEED 
rating for design, construction, operation and maintenance of a green building.

“It’s intended to bring the outside inside,” Carney said. “It’s intended to make you feel connected to where you are, and it does a very nice job of that.”

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