Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

UNC-Chapel Hill Breaks Ground on New Business School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 10/06/22

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, located in Chapel Hill, N.C., recently broke ground on a new $150-million business school. The future Steven D. Bell Hall will play home to the Kenan-Flagler Business School to modernize its facilities and allow the school to accommodate about 50% more undergraduate students, according to university news.

Student media reports that about $75 million in funds are coming from the North Carolina General Assembly and the other $75 million from private funding. The building’s namesake, Steven D. Bell, and his wife, Jackie Bell, have pledged $25 million toward the building’s construction.

“In life, few people have the opportunity to influence thousands of young people,” said Bell. “I am honored and humbled to be able to help double the size of the Undergraduate Business Program. These young entrepreneurs will make North Carolina a strong and more productive place for all of us to live and work.”

The new facility will feature adaptable classrooms that allow for a variety of layouts based on teaching styles and the needs of a particular class. Installed technology will allow for both hybrid and online classes. The building will feature a four-story interior atrium and a tiered, 50-seat outdoor teaching space, according to university news.

Sustainability efforts will include use of solar panels, open-air terraces and large windows. The building is set to meet LEED Gold standards and will target meeting LEED Platinum standards, as well.

“The new, state-of-the-art building will advance our critical mission and expand our impact,” said Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz at the groundbreaking ceremony. “This building will enable us to teach and train more students and leaders for the future. This space will strengthen our culture of collaboration and help build our community together.”

University news reports that construction is scheduled to take a little more than two years.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.