Construction is now underway on the U.S. Naval Academy’s Hopper Hall, a new academic building for cyber studies, the computer science department, and other related disciplines. The six story, 206,400-square-foot building will support the Naval Academy’s programs that encompass the knowledge, study, and research of cyber warfare. Designed for a triangular waterfront site, the building aims to reinforce the Naval Academy campus’ connection to the waterfront by providing clear sightlines through the building, preserving historic views, and celebrating the Navy’s relationship to the water.
SOM’s design will enhance the academy’s Project-Based Learning curriculum by providing new classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, offices, multi-purpose space, an observatory, and a research and testing tank. The building will feature a central hub dubbed “The Bridge,” a collegial gathering place where the diverse activities taking place in the facility will converge. The cyber studies building is the tenth design-build project in the Mid-Atlantic region for SOM, joining award-winning projects including the C4ISR Center for Excellence in Aberdeen, Maryland, the U.S. Census Bureau Headquarters in Suitland, Maryland, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Construction of Hopper Hall is expected to be complete by fall 2019. Source and Image courtesy of SOM.