Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/373915
48 September/October 2014 BizEd and slow," he says. Today the real need is for power outlets, he says, since students often are working on or charging multiple devices. "We try to allow two power ports per student per station everywhere, and in the commons area we might bump it up to four," he says. Green grandeur. Less than a decade ago, environmentally friendly business schools were still rarities. Today, they're de rigueur. "For 100 percent of the business school buildings we design, leaders want the facilities to be sustain- able," says Tattoni. "Even in the requests for proposals I've seen in the past few years, sustainability is front and center on the page." Tattoni believes environmentally friendly design is so important to school administrators because it counterbalances a popular notion that business leaders are unethical. "Building sustainable facilities is a way schools can communicate that they're good stewards of the earth and good stewards of each other," he says. "In addition, a lot of cor- porations, particularly those whose products use natural resources, want students to understand sus- tainability. Many schools like their buildings to be visible represen- tations of the tools they use for teaching sustainability." School administrators see other benefits to green design. For one thing, it's a recruiting bonus. In the past, says Shafer, Rutgers lost many New Jersey students to out-of-state colleges, but the construction of the new building has partially reversed that trend. "We've been able to expand our program and admit more students—and by designing an attractive, sustainable building, we were able to attract some of the best students," he says. Because the new building has received media attention and can tout its sustain- able elements, Shafer believes it has helped the school recruit out-of- state students as well. Tailor-made features. While it seems that some components of new buildings are universal, it's important to remember that the only essential features are the ones that suit a specific school. For instance, the Ourso build- ing needed to fit in well with LSU's existing 1920s architecture, which followed an Italian Renaissance style and incorporated stucco, Span- ish tile roofs, and central court- yards. But it also had to signal to stakeholders that Ourso was pre- pared to teach students how to con- duct business in the 21st century. Therefore, the final model is a modern take on a traditional style: An undergraduate wing, a gradu- ate wing, an auditorium, and a business commons are clustered around a central courtyard in a traditional arrangement, but the entire complex is made of glass. "It Beautiful Buildings Want a quick visual tour of impressive business school buildings around the world? The website Top Manage- ment Degrees has compiled photos of the 50 schools it considers most beauti- ful—some a few months and some a few centuries old. Check out the list at www. topmanagementdegrees.com/ beautiful-business-schools/. In the Bloch building's central atrium, skylights admit ample daylight and help limit the need for artificial lighting.