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Business school architecture of the 21st century has undergone a renaissance, one in which facilities are defined by large, open areas that encourage interaction, teamwork, and a sense of community. ABetter BUILDING by Tricia Bisoux Gone are the days of the "big-box" educational facilities with their carefully partitioned classrooms, hidden lounges, and enclosed hallways. No longer are schools con- structing the high-concept, often ergonomically challenged concrete and glass structures of the mid-20th century. Although these styles served their times, times, to be cer- tain, have changed. In an age where business is defined by teamwork and hands-on learning, it makes sense that the architecture of business schools would follow suit. Whether a business school is building a new facility from the ground up or renovating an old facility, the resulting structure must create an environment that suits its mission, express- es its personality and serves the needs of its students. Achieving this goal often takes some thorough, collective soul-searching, says Alan Chimacoff, an architect with The Hillier Group with offices in Princeton, New Jersey. The Hillier Group specializes in design of facilities for higher education institutions. "Business schools have their own personal views of their communities and of how they 32 BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2002 BusinessSchool The atrium area of Jerry S. Rawls Hall has been cited for excellence in the design of educational facilities. Architectural Portfolio stated the building's "center space will be inspiring and at the heart of the school." want the community to be and work. It's important to get deeply into their psyches about what their collective social needs are," he explains. "Social needs today are increasing- ly being equated with educational needs, because so much of what happens educationally is happening collectively." Current trends in business school architecture reflect a world in which the Internet and wireless technologies have made us a more interactive society. To better inhabit and serve that world, modern business schools are being con- structed with five important "C's" inmind: col- laboration, connectivity, comfort, convenience, and, most important, community. A Culture of Learning When Purdue University's Krannert Graduate School of Management, West Lafayette, Indiana, found itself quickly running short of space, a new, larger facility became a necessity. However, the need for a new facility turned into the perfect opportunity to create a space that was substantially more "user-friendly" than the old.