New dorms have not been the only buildings in construction this year at APSU. The new Maynard Mathematics and Computer Science Building has been coming together, as well.
Construction crews broke ground August 2012, and now the facility is close to completion.
“The Maynard Building is scheduled to be substantially complete on October 8,” said Rufus Johnson from Rufus Johnson Associates, the architecture firm that designed the building. “This will be just under a year since construction started and well ahead of when it’s scheduled, January 2014, for classes to begin using the building. This early completion date will allow faculty and staff more than ample time to get settled into their new facility before it’s used as classroom space.”
While new dorms will give students a place to sleep, there is also a need for more educational facilities.
“Both departments who will occupy the building are continuing to grow and now occupy space in the Claxton and Clement buildings,” said the chair of the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, Bruce Myers. “Much of that space is needed by [the College of] Education and also by departments in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences. The new building will be part of a group of buildings called the ‘STEM triangle’ that includes Sundquist and Hemlock Semiconductor. Many students majoring in our areas will spend most of their time in these buildings.”
The new Maynard Mathematics and Computer Science building will include gathering areas on the first and second floors for students to study, as well as lobby areas with a counter for computers, a student activity area and a view of the courtyard.
Across the courtyard will be handicap accessible sidewalks, benches, grassy areas, a trellis and a fountain.
On the south and west exterior walls, there are a series of 0s and 1s that spell ‘APSU’ in binary code, a coding system used in computer science.
The building’s large windows will reduce its use of artificial lighting and give the building more natural light. The new math building has four classrooms and three computer labs.
“I think it’s needed,” said Cameron Hopkins, a junior healthcare management major and former computer science major. “Claxton is so old and the computer science department needs their own building.”
APSU will hold a ceremony for the opening of the new building soon. The Maynard family, for whom the building is being named, will also be honored.
