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

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.