Renovation of the Willis H. Booth Building for the Center for Advanced Computing Research

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The California Institute of Technology is the recipient of funds from the Academic Research Infrastructure Program for the renovation of the Willis H. Booth Building, constructed in 1962. The modernization of the facility is a crucial step in forming a new multidisciplinary effort, the Center for Advanced Computing Research (CACR). The Caltech Concurrent Supercomputing Facilities (CCSF) will be transformed into the CACR, shifting the original emphasis of the CCSF from leading-edge parallel computing to a greater emphasis on conducting multidisciplinary research collaborations to achieve breakthrough scientific and engineering computations. In order to create an intellectual environment that stimulates advances in computational science and engineering research, the physical space requires modernization. The space must catalyze face to face and remote collaborations, and provide access to a host of advanced computing communication and information technologies. Presently, CCSF staff and their research collaborators are dispersed in both the Booth Building and other buildings on campus. The renovation will consolidate research space in a centralized location, fostering interaction among research personnel and students. ARI funds will be used to renovate the interior structure of the basement, first, and second floors to create cyberspaces that will eliminate barriers to the physical location of researchers and information. Cyberspaces are environments created by computers, networks, and hypermedia and multimedia technologies that provide access to located and remote sources of information and data, simulation capabilities, and real-time visualization of simulation results. In addition, mechanical and electrical systems will be replaced, and fire protection devices and network infrastructure will be installed. By providing a campus-wide focal point for multidisicplinary computational science and engineering activities, the renovation of the Booth Building will enhance research by creating an atmosphere that stimulates interactions involving additional application scientists and engineers, computer scientists, and applied mathematicians. Hence, the project will propagate the benefits of high-performance computing, communications, and multimedia technologies to scientific and engineering research areas while simultaneously creating new generations of computational scientists and engineers.