Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

SMU Breaks Ground on Business School Expansion

  • By Matt Jones
  • 05/12/22

Officials from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, gathered on Friday, May 6, to celebrate a groundbreaking ceremony for a $140-million expansion and renovation of its business school. The project is set to expand the footprint of the Cox School of Business by more than 30 percent, according to local news, and will connect four new buildings with the school’s existing facilities.

The project is scheduled to include the renovation of about 157,000 square feet from three existing campus structures: the Joseph M. Wylie Fincher Building, the Trammell Crow Building and the Cary M. Maguire Building. The buildings will undergo structural demolition, and all roofing systems will be removed. The buildings’ exterior stone and brick façades will remain in place wherever possible, according to the university website.

The project will also entail about 63,000 square feet of expansion to existing buildings and underground connecting spaces. One side of the Fincher building will extend to connect with the Crow and Maguire buildings, while separate additions will be added to the Crow and Maguire buildings, also.

Construction is scheduled to take about two years. The renovated and expanded facilities will be called the David B. Miller Business Quadrangle.

“We are retooling the Cox School to create a more collaborative environment—to give students and faculty easier access to collaborate, to gather and share ideas and gain inspiration from one another,” said Matthew B. Myers, Dean of the Cox School of Business. “We will offer students more opportunity to obtain their business education in a ‘9 to 9’ environment, meaning they’ll come to classes, stay for lunch or dinner, work together with other students and their professors, and remain connected with and at Cox all day long. In short, our improved facilities will nurture an environment that will lead to a richer learning experience and a lifetime of connections. This really marks a new era for the Cox School.”

The university is partnering with Rogers-O’Brien Construction for construction and GFF Architects for architecture and design.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Montclair State University Debuts New VR Facility

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently announced the completion of a new virtual reality learning facility developed in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, according to a news release. The 2,450-square-foot lab space is inside the College of Communication and Media building and will serve students pursuing careers in digital media, virtual reality, and content creation.

  • Secret to Efficient, On-Time School Infrastructure & Modernization Projects is All in the Preparation

    Warmer weather and longer days make summer the ideal time for construction and modernization projects at educational facilities. School boards and construction firms must coordinate effectively to ensure that these projects do not extend even a single day into the school year and impede classroom operation.

  • Lawrence Group Announces Three New Hires

    Integrated planning and design firm Lawrence Group, based in St. Louis, Mo., recently welcomed three new staff members, according to a news release.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.