The new Business Innovation Building helps the Lehigh University College of Business prepare students for real-world engagement through skills-based learning and collaboration.
The 73,000 sf building houses a diverse array of learning environments intended for graduate-level programs, many tailored to suit the needs of particular fields like marketing or finance. Classrooms feature advanced AV/IT systems and subtle acoustical treatments, with natural light filling each space. Many are also outfitted with flexible furniture that can be reconfigured from, say, forward-facing seats for a lecture to huddled seats for small-group discussion. One “in the round” classroom, intended for town hall-style presentations, is designed to seat students in a full circle with a podium-less space in the center and LED arrays above. Specialized learning environments include a suite for behavioral marketing research; a financial services classroom with an adjacent room for Bloomberg terminals; and the Lehigh Ventures Lab, a business incubator for student entrepreneurs.
The Vistex Institute for Executive Education, a signature program, has a dedicated home on the third floor of the building, which was designed in a more corporate aesthetic. A lobby doubles as a venue for networking events, and a social lounge with adjacent breakout rooms is perfect for large- or small-group projects.
A multitude of breakout rooms, varied in their size and configuration, are distributed among the classrooms to support studying and groupwork. The lobby and its grand stair organize the building while giving visibility to what is taking place within. Its large touch-screen array has hours of information on the college and its alumni. Space above breakout rooms next to the lobby was used to create a cozy mezzanine lounge where students can comfortably study or socialize.
Built on a former parking lot, the building is not just an exemplar of academic design but also in the efficient configuration of space to maximize efficiency on a tight site. Large-volume spaces like lecture-style classrooms take advantage of the natural grade at the western side of the site, while offices and smaller spaces are situated throughout the rest of the building. The project is awaiting LEED Gold Certification.