W.A. Franke College of Business

The open floor plan of the W.A. Franke College of Business invites students to stay after classes and enjoy 32,000 square feet of informal meeting spaces.

• Architect: Carter-Burgess, in association with BOORA Architecture, Inc
• Contractor: Ryan Companies

Features

• A building designed around communication and collaboration between students, faculty, and outside organizations.
• The grand central staircase cascades through open floors and promotes visibility and communication.
• Innovative front porches provide short-term, technology-rich collaboration spaces at the entryways of classrooms and computer labs.
• Break out areas provide team-oriented, longer-term collaboration spaces with technology.
• The Career Development Office promotes student engagement with employers.
• The Business Communications Center provides resources to help students develop strong and diverse verbal and written communication skills.
• Full wireless Internet access throughout the building.
• In-house information technology student help desk.

Achieving LEED Gold

Energy efficiency

• Natural ventilation replenishes air quality.
• Concrete floors act as thermal mass, capturing cold night air and providing natural cooling during summer days.
• Natural lighting available in over 75 percent of working areas.
• Motion detectors manage all office lighting.
• Computer-controlled hallway lighting levels.

Construction

• All floors were constructed using 18-inch raised flooring to house electrical, data, water, and ventilation.
• Concrete pillars provide a load-bearing structure.
• Non-load-bearing walls are easily remodeled, extending the building’s lifespan.

Reduced building impact

• 86 percent of construction waste was diverted to reclamation facilities.
• Construction materials were 26 percent recycled content by cost.
• 44 percent of materials by cost were manufactured within 500 miles.
• 21 percent of raw materials by cost were gathered within 500 miles.

Water efficiency

• Reclaimed water usage cut potable water consumption by 93 percent.
• Xeriscape landscaping designed for water conservation.

Technology

• About 40 percent of the computing within the building is on thin client, which allows students and faculty to access computers from a large server using a slim and energy-efficient device
• Thin client computing lessens environmental manufacturing and disposal impacts.
• Thin client computing reduces electrical costs and lowers the university carbon footprint.