Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

VMA Breaks Ground on Lehigh University’s New College of Business

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/23/21

Voith & Mactavish Architects, LLP (VMA) recently broke ground on the new Lehigh University College of Business in Bethlehem, Pa. The 74,000-square-foot structure is slated to open in fall 2022 and contain 16 experiential learning spaces for the business school. These include spaces like a business incubator, a mock trading floor, data analytics rooms, a production studio, a corporate-style conference center, and an executive education suite.

“New findings in pedagogy show that students learn best when they are engaged in discovering solutions for open-ended, real-world problems,” said Sennah Loftus, Associate Principal at VMA and the project’s lead designer. “With spaces like the business incubator and mock trading floor, we are creating places where professors can inspire students to test, explore and discover.”

Lehigh University College of Business

Each classroom will be fully integrated with modern technology to allow for hybrid and online learning, as appropriate. The building also features informal meeting and study areas to encourage communication and collaboration. “We are moving beyond the traditional classroom arrangement, where the professor stands and talks and the students sit there passively taking notes, to more immersive learning environments that engage students as partners in their education,” said Georgette Chapman Phillips, the Dean of the College of Business.

The new facility will replace a parking lot and two administrative buildings to stand diagonally to the existing business school building, the Rauch Business Center. A press release states that it will serve as an anchor in the area that unifies the campus to make it more cohesive. “I think this is really going to help knit together the College of Business, Rauch Business Center, and Zoellner Arts Center, pulling those into a more coherent campus experience,” said Brent Stringfellow, University Architect and Associate Vice President of Facilities.

Construction on the new business center was originally supposed to start in 2020, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • Nashville Elementary School Receives LEED Gold Certification

    Goodlettsville Elementary School, part of Metro Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tenn., recently achieved LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to a news release. The 81,750-square-foot school opened in 2023 and was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC).

  • Spaces4Learning Announces 2026 Product Award Winners

    Spaces4Learning has just announced the winners of the 2026 Product Awards! The award program spotlights outstanding product development achievements of manufacturers and suppliers whose products or services are considered to be particularly noteworthy in their ability to enhance K–12 and higher-education learning environments.

  • UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

    The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.