These two state-of-the art buildings for a business school reflect a more holistic pedagogy for education by reimagining typical programmatic arrangements, creating multifunctional spaces that foster a sense of community. The intertwining public and private areas allow for spaces where students, faculty, alumni, and practitioners can gather to exchange ideas. The lighting design supports this reorganization and innovative practice primarily through a careful and thoughtful balance of fixture density and light quality. The interweaving of student, faculty, and administrative spaces is expressed through an “architectural layer-cake” design approach. Transparent glass exteriors reveal connected multifunctional public spaces and transition into more opaque fritted glass facades for private faculty and administrative spaces.

The primary goals of the project were to emphasize the layered programming while respecting the existing urban fabric of the neighborhood and surrounding campus. The public program of the building is organized around a central core that is washed with light, aiding navigation at all levels. The combination of softly lit vertical planes and unobtrusive downlights subtly accentuate the architecture without overwhelming the campus surroundings. At the upper floor private dining, the rich wood ceiling is softly illuminated, with asymmetric up-lights integrated into a custom pocket at the perimeter glazing.

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