New Campus Plan Moves Forward

The plans for building a new campus for Yale SOM took another step forward in June as the Yale Corporation approved design modifications and gave the project’s architect, Foster + Partners, approval to move forward with the preparation of final construction plans and drawings, a process expected to take about a year. Once these drawings are complete, construction could begin once the school has been able to raise sufficient funds for the project.

Deputy Dean Stan Garstka, who has been working closely with university officials and the Foster + Partner team throughout the design development process, said that the conceptual design for the campus is now 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."

Officials and faculty at SOM have already begun meeting to determine exactly how the roughly 230,000 square feet will be used, from how classrooms will be configured to how technology will be used to facilitate teaching of the Yale integrated MBA curriculum. Garstka said there will be a sophisticated media center, classrooms outfitted like boardrooms to enable broadcasting, a 350-seat auditorium, a library, and the William and Elizabeth Beinecke Terrace Room, a large space for lectures, dinners, and formal events.

Garstka said faculty have focused intently on the classrooms, coming up with different concepts for spaces to teach the core curriculum and electives. "It’s all in support of the curriculum," he 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."

Over the next year, Garstka said that Foster + Partners will work with engineers to take the design and turn it into fully realized plans for building the campus. The construction phase is expected to take about three years, but the start date will largely be determined by fundraising, as the project won’t begin until funding is secured. Garstka said the school is continuing to raise donations for the project, and that while it will take time to reach the required amount, he has no doubt the end result will be a "spectacular building."

"Inside and out it will be a defining structure for the school," he said. "It will be more than a world-class building. It will be one of the best places on the planet to learn about management."