When visitors enter the center, they will be welcomed by a three-story light- filled atrium. The atrium will be the hub of the center and will be surrounded by glass walls, providing visitors a window view into the Robotics High- Bay Lab. The center’s atrium entrance and the en- tire fourth floor will serve as collabora- tion space. The
Rendering of the Cyber Engineering and Academic Center. Photo: Design Firm Jacobs Ewing Cole.
The center is one of many structures the Army Corps of Engineers has constructed on the 200-year-old campus that is 50 miles north of New York City on the Hudson River. The 136,000 square-foot world class academic facility will sit on five acres of land near the south entrance of the campus and other academic buildings and dormitories. Silas Bowman, project manager, New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said, "The center will be the first thing new students and their families will see as they enter West Point. The center will be the gateway to the academic center of West Point and will stand out as a beacon of gothic beauty on the exterior and the forefront of technology on the inside." Gagliano can appreciate a new center like this for the cadets, being an educator himself. He’s an adjunct professor, a doctoral candidate, and educates the public as an on-air cable news subject-matter analyst on law enforcement and counter terrorism. He said, "The 21st Century battlefield is complex and amorphous, which demands that our military leaders have a clear understanding of emergent threats and process intelligence in terms of how we can dominate the nebulous realm of asymmetrical warfare." The center will have four floors, a multi-story underground parking garage, and a walkway connecting the center to an adjacent academic building. It will house the engineering department with classrooms for instruction on civil, mechanical, electrical, and cyber engineering. The center will also have laboratories for instruction on topics including thermodynam- ics, biomechanics, weapons, photonics, telecom, computer, sensors, artificial intelligence, and environmental and energy sustainability. The center will be used for cadets to receive training on robotics and drones and will have a Robotics High-Bay Lab to allow indoor drone flight and robotics use.
fourth floor – with views of the Hudson River - will provide collabora- tion space and a setting for notable speakers and dignitaries to give presentations and hold meetings with access to high tech audio-visual equipment. Gagliano said, "I cannot help but see the parallels between the old Thayer riding hall – where cadets used to be trained in equine warfare – and the modern-day high-bay lab for drones and robotics testing. West Point must stay abreast of evolving technologies and training op- portunities for the young men and women who will be leading our next generation of American warfighters. Just as cadets like GeorgeArmstrong Custer (c/o 1861) trained in equine warfare – horsemanship and cavalry operations – in the footprint that is Thayer Hall during the Civil War era, cadets today are being exposed to robotics and drones, their own version of "saddle skills." He added, "Successful interdiction "left of boom" requires cutting-edge technological innovations for data collection, intelligence gathering, and weapons delivery. Drones are the answer. They are as necessary and ubiquitous today as pack horses were during 19th century warfighting." Left of boom refers to the moments before an explosion or attack – a period when you still have time to prepare and avert a crisis. Part of being prepared for left of boom moments is being able to work with others across disciplines. Collaboration among cadets and faculty will be encouraged and the center will be designed to facilitate this. To further encourage collaboration, a 30-feet wide pedestrian enclosed bridge with an exterior rooftop will connect the center to Mahan Hall and span over Thayer Walk, the main pedestrian access way on the campus. This bridge will not only provide an iconic entrance to the academy, but will encourage collaboration between the buildings.
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January 2021
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