A trend in the design of business school facilities is the integration of spaces that foster collaboration and connections among students, faculty members, and the community. In general, these spaces are designed to foster one or more of three types of collaborations: between students and faculty; between the business school and the rest of the university; and between the business school and the surrounding community.

Business School Students and Faculty

Most recent business school facility designs have included circulation spaces, intersections, and other public lounge areas where students and faculty can gather and meet. In many cases, schools make these spaces available for special events or student displays for the business school or surrounding community.

Louisiana State University
Ourso College of Business
Business Education Complex
The Commons, a 3,500 square-foot central atrium includes study space, Internet access, and areas for group meetings.

University of Washington
Foster School of Business
PACCAR Hall
The Gallery is a four-story, glazed atrium running the length of the building, and forming a central circulation area and “community activity zone” between classrooms, meeting rooms, and other spaces.

National University of Singapore Business School
Mochtar Riady Building
This structure includes a series of informal “interaction zones,” as well as a five-story atrium that serves as a focal point for the building and a location for hosting corporate events.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
College of Business Business Instructional Facility
This outdoor communal space was created within the u-shaped structure of the college of business. The building surrounds a spacious courtyard and commons area.

University of Michigan
Ross School of Business
Davidson Winter Garden
A glass-enclosed public space facilitating gatherings of students and faculty.

Business School and the University

University of California, Fullerton
Mihaylo College of Business and Economics
Mihaylo Hall
A key theme behind development of the hall was “intersections.” This includes the building’s location at a prominent campus intersection, with several avenues and crossroads from different corners of the university’s campus taking students directly through the Mihaylo Hall building complex.

University of Washington
Foster School of Business
PACCAR Hall
PACCAR Hall includes plazas and a shared courtyard designed to be easily accessible by the rest of the campus community.

The Business School and the Community

Rutgers University Business School
The headquarters is a home to both the business school and members of the local business community. The first 11 of 17 floors are used for classrooms, faculty and staff offices, departments, and research centers, while the top six floors will host offices for local businesses.

ESADE Business School’s Barcelona-Saint Cugat
ESADE Creapolis
This structure combines a 19,800 m2 academic zone with a 26,800 m2 business zone. The academic zone includes dormitories for full-time students, classrooms, and administrative space, while the business zone is designed to house small businesses in their initial phases of development, as well as partial operations of larger firms. The complex also includes a Residence-Club that provides housing for visiting global innovation experts, Executive Education training program participants, and others engaged in the ESADE Creapolis activities and services.

University of Nebraska at Omaha
College of Business Administration
Mammel Hall
This structure includes a 24 to 30 person corporate-style boardroom available for use by those in the business school or broader university, as well as members of the community. The building also houses offices for the Nebraska Business Development Center.

Thunderbird School of Global Management
Thunderbird Tower
Restoration plans for the tower include a top-floor observatory and an alumni meeting room that will be open to the local community. The meeting room doubles as a museum where those interested in the history of Glendale, Arizona can view artifacts and stories from the school’s past as a U.S. Army airfield.

Hull University Business School
The school offers a range of commercial facilities for use by members of the local business community. It accommodates a variety of needs from large lecture theatres, brainstorming/meeting rooms, videoconferencing, commercial laboratories, and business incubators.