The University celebrated the start of construction to its Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge, or I-HACK, in a ceremony in October, as the first swings of sledgehammers began interior demolition of Knight Tower. The University unveiled the $13 million first phase of the project. This phase involves renovation and construction of the building’s exterior, the first-floor lobby area and the second-floor space dedicated to academic learning environments.
This educational space, the Pierre McCormick Cyber Learning Center, will house faculty offices and classrooms, open collaborative innovation spaces, as well as a security-controlled Cyber Hacking Lab, a Cyber Defense Lab and an Internet of Things Lab. In these labs, students will be involved in projects alongside faculty and businesses on a variety of cyber-related topics including developing intelligent autonomous vehicles, intelligent health monitoring devices and smart sensors, as well as secure data storage and communications through advanced applications and intelligent systems design.
Interior rendering of the Pierre McCormick Cyber Learning Center
This initial construction phase for I-HACK is expected to be completed by Fall 2020.
The construction following phase one will further develop the I-HACK’s integration with businesses and resources for the community. The University plans to develop the third through sixth floors in additional construction phases to create space dedicated to business idea development in the Hatchery, collaborative industry spaces for businesses and a top-tier data center.