The proposed intelligent building will be designed to grow with future advances in technology. The NKU smart building is a $55 million, high-tech Center for Informatics, which combines all information-related disciplines under one college. The center is expected to drive information-related business growth within the surrounding area and will house some of the most advanced technology of its kind in the Midwest region.
Expected to be completed in May 2011, the building will add more than two dozen classrooms to the 124 currently on campus and will be the most environmentally friendly building at NKU. In addition to being home to some of the most advanced digital technology available, the Center for Informatics is expected to qualify for LEED Silver certification.
The Informatics Center will include several high-tech facilities including a Computer Assisted Virtual Environment (CAVE) that will be available for businesses to use for product development. While several large corporations have their own CAVEs for research and development, the CAVE at NKU’s Center for Informatics will be one of only a few CAVEs in the world available for public use. The Center will also boast a Digitorium that will be packed with high-definition and three-dimensional screens and cameras capable of running complex simulations in homeland security, computer security and financial security. The Digitorium can double as a Network Operations Center (NOC) that will allow broad use by a variety of private and government sectors.
