Building Expansion Guiding Principles
Five principles guide the design of the addition to the Robins School.
- sense of community
- discovery-based learning
- collaboration
- flexibility
- front door to the business community
The first is that the space should help create a sense of community among our various stakeholders - students, faculty, staff, alumni, employers, and friends. The Café is one design feature that will help us create a sense of community by giving people a reason to come to and stay in the building. It will double as an impromptu study hall and meeting center for students. A garden terrace off of the Café will provide additional dining and gathering space. The new Moelchert Student Lounge, student organization space, and the new O'Maley Business Center also help create a sense of community for our students. The two story 225-seat Ukrop Auditorium with advanced multimedia features will encourage other constituencies, alumni, local business people, and friends of the University to gather in the Robins School as well. Ample reception space with indoor-outdoor access will enhance the sense of community.
The second design principal is that the space encourage discovery-based learning for our students and faculty. Chemistry students would not dream of taking chemistry without a lab. Business students should feel the same about their business courses. Two spaces speak to this principal explicitly, the Lessing Capital Markets Room and the Business Research Lab. The Capital Markets Room will closely resemble a Trading Floor on Wall Street. Students will use the same hardware, software, databases and on-line information that is available to finance professionals. The Business Research Lab will be used for marketing, management and economics research, including experiments, new product tests, focus groups, and interpersonal skill development. Small breakout rooms with sophisticated videotape equipment will allow activities to be recorded and shown to students, providing immediate feedback. This facility is a key resource for presentation skills, negotiation, employment interview preparation and teambuilding.
The third guiding principle is to have space that facilitates collaboration among faculty and students, particularly in the research realm. Thus we have office clusters that encourage people working in related areas to talk informally. Small conference and conversation spaces are scattered throughout the building for the same reason. Student research space is explicitly built as well.
The fourth principle is flexibility. We do not know what the future will bring in the way of technology, research and pedagogy. Therefore we have designed spaces that can be used in many ways. We have clustered offices so that different programs can use them. We have left open spaces that can have multiple uses. Technology will be movable, renewable, redundant (both wired and wireless internet access, for example) and cutting edge.
Finally we want the Robins School to be the University's front door to the business community. The Ukrop Auditorium can be a gathering space for employee events, The Board Room, Courtyard, and reception area can provide excellent venues for meetings large and small.
The Robins School of Business for the next generation of students, faculty, and staff will be a building that facilitates excellence in our interactions, our teaching, and our research. It will be a worthy addition to the architectural landscape of the University and an excellent addition to the equality of life for students, faculty, and staff.