Charles Bierbauer, dean of the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies, took a step into what will open as the school’s new building in fall 2015.
“Every time I come in here it’s a little different,” Bierbauer said.
When construction started on the Health Sciences Building, which previously housed the Arnold School of Public Health, in January 2014, the entire building was gutted and taken down to bare walls and support beams. Bierbauer recalled seeing how everything in the building — windows and stairwells included — was gone.
“It’s been an interesting process,” he said. “We spent two months taking things out, which got really messy. And then, bit by bit, we started putting in walls and elements.”
This sight was something he had been patiently waiting to see, however. When asked how long this project has been in the works, Bierbauer said it “depends on when you start counting.”
Bierbauer came to USC and assumed the position of dean in 2002 under the premise that there would be a new building for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Before that, several of his predecessors had worked with the university on coming up with a plan for this vision.
In 2007, it became clear that the School of Journalism and Mass Communication would move into what was then the home of the Arnold School of Public Health once renovations on LeConte were completed.
In the meantime, the university worked on a plan for historical preservation and the School of Public Health prepared to move out.
“All of that [historical preservation] preceded the first hammer being swung,” Bierbauer said. “Everything inside the Horseshoe walls is subject to special approval … No tree was harmed in the process of this thing.”
Bierbauer said he believes that the school’s new home will be a big step up from their current residence in the Coliseum.
“[The Coliseum]’s inflexible. It’s too small for the program we have,” he said. No matter how big the building is, the part we use is too small for us.”
The Health Sciences Building was originally about 40,000 square feet, and a new section has been added during this renovation to provide the School of Journalism and Mass Communications with extra classrooms and computer labs, in addition to special features they did not have before, such as a photo studio, a campaign room for advertising and public relations students and a small auditorium.
“This will nearly double our space … and it will be far more functional,” Bierbauer said. “In my thinking, it is a far better building than we would have built five years ago.”
The construction also added a new entrance to make the building more convenient for students coming from the library or the university union. This entrance opens into a two-floor atrium, which will eventually feature a mounting frame for large screens that will broadcast student news.
“Part of the design is to show student work as much as possible,” Bierbauer said.
The design also mixed traditional and contemporary elements — for example, the original brick façade of the building is maintained, but high-tech elements such as a digital donor wall and an interactive kiosk of six screens in the entrance are added.
“We really like what they’ve done maintaining the integrity of the building and yet making it look contemporary,” Bierbauer said.
Another element that was not present in the school’s former home is an abundance of windows, which have been maintained from the original building.
“Some of our faculty will be blinded by the light when they come out from the underground,” Bierbauer said, referring to the darkness of the Coliseum. “There’s a lot of glass in the building to give it an open look as much as possible.”
The new building will be LEED certified, in part due to the green roof, which provides a bird’s eye view of campus. The inside of the greenhouse, however, is being converted into a television studio.
Other features students majoring in a subject related to mass communications can get excited about include a newsroom, a TV control room and lounge areas.
The construction is currently on budget and ahead of schedule.