Pictured: From left to right, Dean Tufts (VP, Campus Planning & Facilities Management), Tina Oestreich (AVP, Teaching and Learning Technologies), Joy K. Ward (Provost and Executive Vice President), and Hannah Martin (Department Assistant).
Schematic drawings have been finalized for one of the ISEB's eight SERs. The building features two fiber entrances: SER-01 has a single-mode fiber connection to the Bingham Hub, while SER-08 connects directly to the Crawford Data Center. Additionally, the redundant single-mode fiber from the Crawford Data Center to the Bingham Hub, which was severed during the Yost demolition, has been fully restored as part of the project.
The ISEB construction team states that SER readiness is expected by mid-June. This includes secure, lockable doors, active power, functional cooling, and the completion of all drywall sanding and finishing outside the rooms.
The middle section of workbenches is designed to be reconfigured or completely removed, depending on research needs.
Clear glass paneling at the front of the Focus Lab allows researchers to look directly into the lab from their adjoining offices.
- The building is 189,000 square feet and has six levels
- Levels 5 and 6 are mechanical spaces
- The building is 120 feet tall from the ground floor to the top of the exhaust stacks
- The building includes 9 research focus areas, 64 fume hoods, and 237 lab stools
- Peak onsite workforce was 250 workers, with 998 trade workers total
The ISEB is built with:
- 1,700 tons of steel
- 3,400 gallons of paint
- 43,500 square feet of glass, including 1,200 individual pieces
- 26 miles of plumbing
- 1,600 sprinkler heads
- 4,500 light fixtures
- 125 miles of electrical wire
- 128 miles of Cat 6a cable
- 306 shrubs and trees, and 2,765 ground plantings
Hear from Greg Wells about [U]Tech's Involvement in the ISEB Building Construction
May 21, 2026
[U]Tech's involvement with the construction of the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB) kicked off in the spring of 2023. Greg Wells (Assistant Director, Network Operations) facilitated a series of initial meetings with Joanne Brown, Campus Architect with Campus Planning and Construction, regarding CWRU staff and faculty vacating the Yost building. A series of fast-track renovations and moves had to take place before Yost could be demolished.
A new space was renovated for University Counseling on the second floor of the Dental Research Building, while Financial Aid was relocated to the Nursing Research Building. Following suit, the Math Department moved to the Health Services Building. Finally, the Registrar’s, Bursar’s, and Cashier's offices were relocated to the second floor of Sears Library, clearing the way for Yost to be fully vacated by the end of 2024.
While these enabling projects progressed, Greg reviewed the technology drawings, starting in June 2023 with the Schematic Design drawings, moving to Design Development drawings, and concluding with the construction drawings. The permit set was officially issued in September of 2024. Bob Shaffer (IT Engineer) and Greg then spent time with the construction team and the technology contractor during scope review meetings. Ultimately, Lakeland Electric was selected as the technology contractor for the project. One of the biggest challenges during the design process was collaborating with the technology engineering team, Advanced Engineering Consultants, to ensure the technology rooms were designed per CWRU and [U]Tech specifications.
For the ISEB network, SER-01 and SER-08 will feature Cisco aggregate switches with 100G uplinks back to the Crawford Data Center. The Cisco C9400 access layer switches will have a 100G uplink from each aggregate switch, making the ISEB the fastest network on campus. The network consists of two Cisco 32-port aggregate switches and ten C9400 network chassis. Jack Jesberger (IT Engineer) and Keymarin Washington (IT Engineer) have been configuring the network switches and programming approximately 2,700 switch ports at the Cedar Avenue Service Center. Once the network is deployed, Vertiv technicians will commission the UPS battery backup system. Currently, temporary switches are installed to allow the HVAC network to be configured and commissioned.
Logicalis was hired to provide a predictive design for the ISEB wireless system. The building will feature 175 Cisco 9176 Wi-Fi 7 access points, marking CWRU's first Wi-Fi 7 deployment on campus. The wireless design includes outdoor access points to enhance the Wi-Fi experience around the exterior of the building. Logicalis will test and certify the wireless design prior to the building's grand opening in October this year.