In a post to the Yale School of Management (SOM) blog yesterday, officials announced that design modifications for building a new campus for the school have been approved and the project’s architect has been cleared to move forward with preparation of final construction plans and drawings.
In June, the Yale Corporation gave the project’s architect, Foster + Partners, the go-ahead to proceed with preparing final plans, a process expected to take about a year. Construction could begin as soon as these drawing are complete, provided the school has been able to raise sufficient funds for the project.
According to Deputy Dean Stan Garstka, the conceptual design for the campus is all but finalized. “It’s pretty much etched in stone,” he said. “Now we get to flesh it out and see where it takes us.”
SOM officials and faculty have already started the process of determining just how the new campus’s 230 square feet will be used. Among its features will be a sophisticated media center, classrooms outfitted like boardrooms to enable broadcasting, a 350-seat auditorium, a library and a large space for lectures, dinners and formal events, Garstka says.
Particular attention has been paid to the classrooms, specifically ways that their design can help facilitate the Yale SOM core curriculum and electives. “It’s all in support of the curriculum,” Garstka said. “The collaborative nature of our curriculum requires classrooms that aren’t typical classrooms. This whole process is aimed at coming up with the best teaching environment in the world.”
Foster + Partners will spend the next year working with engineers to transform the design into fully realized plans for building the campus. Construction, expected to take about three years, will begin only once funding is secured. The school is continuing now to raise donations for the project, Garstka said.
To learn more and to view illustrated visualizations of the new campus, click here.
