Southern Connecticut State University’s new School of Business building marks a vital expansion of the university.
Construction has begun on the next home for the School of Business, an environmentally sustainable structure that will provide a launching pad for expanding the school’s offerings and developing new partnerships with the business community.
The new building will provide more than double the space currently allotted for the School of Business, which is situated in part of the former Student Center Building. And it is being designed as an environmentally sustainable structure that will provide a friendly confine for SCSU partnerships with the business community.
The School of Business is shaping business thinkers and equipping students with the skills and knowledge to assume leading positions in business and society. The School has moved into the candidacy stage for AACSB accreditation, a premier mark of quality that is held by only five percent of schools worldwide. Tomorrow’s business leaders will need to be flexible and innovative to respond quickly to demographic and technological changes. With its emphasis on sustainability and energy efficiency, the new building will offer a flexible and adaptable environment that promotes a culture of health and well-being. The School of Business is expected to be completed in Spring 2023.
Sustainable
Plans call for the new facility to be the first building constructed by the state of Connecticut that will be Net Zero Energy (NZE) in terms of its carbon footprint. Solar panels added to the Lot 9 area on lower Farnham Avenue will help generate 90 percent of the building’s needs, supplemented by a below-ground geothermal field at the rear of the construction site. During the course of a year, the amount of renewable energy created on-site will be equal to the total amount of energy used by the building. As a result, the cost to operate the building will be minimal.
Key Features of the SCSU Business School Building
- 1,500 square-foot community room with seating for 100 people
- 1,200 square-foot classroom and administrative suite designated for the MBA program
- 60-student case study classrooms with tiered (stadium-style) seating
- 1,200 square-foot space designed for financial market and data analytics
- 100-seat, multi-purpose auditorium with tiered seating
- 8 classrooms seating 30-40 students
- Business Success Center with locations for employers to meet with and interview Southern students, and programs to assist students with job searches and career planning
- Behavioral lab area with observation room
- A stock market ticker, observable outside the first floor near the corner of Wintergreen and Farnham avenues
- 30-student learning labs with computer stations
- Office space for the dean, faculty, and staff
- 2 exterior plazas for students and community events
Architect
Oak Park Architects, LLC (OPA,llc), located in West Hartford, Conn., is a comprehensive architectural practice with projects in Connecticut, New York, and the Greater New England area. Founded in 1984, the firm has been offering a full range of architectural and planning services, including feasibility studies, architectural design, interior design, construction document preparation, budget preparation, and contract administration. The practice’s 30-year portfolio includes housing, education, office, medical, commercial and industrial buildings and complexes.
Designer
For more than 60 years, Sasaki has brought together the best of architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, planning, urban design, civil engineering, graphic design, place branding, and data science to shape their clients’ needs. Out of their Boston, Denver, and Shanghai offices they are defining the contours of place and redefining what’s possible along the way. Today they are a diverse practice of 300 professionals who share a singular passion for creating spaces and places around the world that prove human potential.
Construction Manager
Founded in 1947, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. of Wethersfield, Conn., is an American international technical professional services firm. The company provides technical, professional, and construction services, as well as scientific and specialty consulting for a broad range of clients globally, including companies, organizations, and government agencies. Jacobs has consistently ranked No. 1 on both Engineering News-Record (ENR)’s 2018/2019/2020 Top 500 Design Firms and Trenchless Technology’s 2018/2019 Top 50 Trenchless Engineering Firms.
Construction Size: 64,000 square feet
Construction Cost: $52,400,000