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

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

  • North Carolina District Completes New Elementary School

    The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Holly Springs, N.C., recently announced that construction on a new elementary school has finished, according to a news release. Rex Road Elementary School measures in at 133,000 square feet and is the fifteenth school that general contractor Balfour Beatty has completed for the district.

  • Upcoming University of Alabama Performing Arts Center Hits Construction Milestone

    The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., recently celebrated the topping out of its new Smith Family Center for Performing Arts, according to a news release. The university is partnering with HPM for program and project management on the facility, which broke ground in 2023 and is scheduled for completion in November 2026.

  • Photo credit: Elkus Manfredi Architects

    University of Virginia Selects Design-Build Team for New Residential Complex

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., recently announced that it has selected a design-build team for a new upper-class residential development on campus, according to a news release. Capstone Development Partners—in partnership with Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Hoar Construction/Hourigan construction team—will move forward with the three-building, 310,000-square-foot housing facility.

Digital Edition