Marquette University Opens Business School’s New Home

Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., recently opened the doors to its newest academic building, Dr. E. J. and Margaret O’Brien Hall. University news reports that the building will serve as the new home for Marquette Business and its associated leadership innovation programs, and faculty and staff have already started moving in.

The 100,000-square-foot facility came with a price tag of $60 million and is the largest fully donor-funded construction project in Marquette history, according to the news release. O’Brien Hall features amenities like collaborative classrooms, lab and study spaces, an event space, an open atrium, a café, and administrative space. It also features student support areas like a Student Success Center and a Business Career Center.

“O’Brien Hall welcoming its first occupants is another exciting milestone for this landmark project,” said Tim Hanley, acting Keyes Dean of Business Administration. “The new home for Marquette Business and innovation leadership programs has, since its earliest concepts, promised to be a hub of innovative, collaborative spaces where students, faculty, staff, and the business community will interact in meaningful ways. This building has always been about people—today, I’m pleased to say the people have arrived.”

About ten faculty and staff members, including the Executive Associate Dean and other members of the leadership team, have moved in. Remaining faculty and staff will transfer between Dec. 14 and Dec. 21, and the building will open its doors to students and classes at the beginning of the spring 2023 semester.

The new facility is located next to the Opus College of Engineering, and one space in O’Brien Hall is designated for collaboration between engineering and business students as part of the university’s Innovation Alley Program.

Local news reports that the university partnered with BNIM and Workshop Architects for the building’s design, and that J.H. Findorff & Son served as the general contractor.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • California District Debuts New High-School CTE Center

    The West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new CTE Center at Analy High School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) for the facility’s design and GCCI for its construction, and funding came from local Measure A bond funds.

  • Western Kentucky University Breaks Ground on First Phase of $350M Student Housing Project

    Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky., recently broke ground on the first phase of a $350-million student housing initiative, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Gilbane Development through a public-private partnership (P3) to replace aging residence halls and modernize on-campus living accommodations.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.