THE NEW USC WALLIS ANNENBERG SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS BUILDING

IT IS ISN'T FINISHED, BUT I WAS INVITED TO A HARD HAT TOUR. WOW. WHEN I WAS THERE AND MAJORED IN JOURNALISM AND WROTE FOR THE DAILY TROJAN, I WAS IN A CUBICLE WITH AN ANCIENT TYPEWRITER. NOW THE LUCKY STUDENTS WILL SOON BE LEARNING IN A HIGH TECH BUILDING THAT INSIDE LOOKS LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN CNN AND GOOGLE.

THE STYLE IS "COLLEGIATE GOTHIC," A FORM THAT ALL USC NEW BUILDINGS WILL BE FOLLOWING FROM NOW ON. THAT'S PERFECT. ON THE OUTSIDE IT LOOKS LIKE EAST COAST CLASSIC IVY LEAGUE, AND ON THE INSIDE IT'S A SPACESHIP.

THIS IS THE "NEWSROOM," A LIVE BROADCASTING LAB.

"THE FORUM," OR CENTER OF THE BUILDING. THERE ARE FLOATING STAIRCASES, GLASS WALLS--A TOTAL CONNECTION BETWEEN STUDENTS AND FACULTY.



A whole new way to communicate is under development at USC Annenberg, in the form of an 88,000-squarefoot, five-story building in the heart of campus with a design that connects people, fosters creativity and accelerates the school’s path into the future.
As media and communication shift more and more to the center of modern life, we have continuously worked to place ourselves at the center of that shift,” says Dean Ernest J. Wilson III. “This new facility will help us realize our ambition: Just as communication is at the center of modern life, USC Annenberg is at the center of communication and journalism—and at the center of campus!”
“We took Dean Wilson’s directive to heart,” says lead architect Dan Benjamin of the firm Harley Ellis Devereaux. “He wanted the building to be designed with space that connects rather than contains.”
The new facility’s learning spaces will include a blend of unique “huddle” spaces, movable walls, learning and research labs, and other features to foster future-oriented conversations and blue-sky thinking. Flexible furniture and meeting areas, drop-in space for visitors, and state-of-the-art production studios will create environments to turn these plans into action.
“In the spirit of the culture of innovation and experimentation, we’ll have spaces that are more conducive to random interactions and cross-fertilization, rather than having things separating off,” says Vice Dean Larry Gross, director of the School of Communication and one of the key members of the project team. “We’ve been trying for a village square kind of environment.” The core of the vision was prompted by Wallis Annenberg, whose long-standing commitment to openness, transparency and technology defined the spirit of the design. Equipped with today’s most revolutionary technology, the new facility also will help the school adapt to a pace of technological innovation that seems to have permanently shifted into overdrive.