Graves' $67m school project - Inside Construction - Michael Graves to design Temple University's Fox School of Business and Management

Real Estate Weekly, Jan 21, 2004

Internationally renowned architect Michael Graves--whose designs for the University of Virginia and Emory and Rice universities have received wide acclaim--will design a major expansion of Temple University's Fox School of Business and Management.

Graves will be working in a joint venture with the Philadelphia offices of the Butler, Pa.-based firm Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates.

The $67 million project, to be completed in late 2006, includes the demolition of Curtis Hall and the construction of a new facility that will connect with Speakman Hall, the existing home of the Fox School on Temple's main campus.

"Michael Graves and his firm of outstanding architects are among the leading thinkers in the design of facilities ranging from corporate headquarters and multi-use urban developments to academic buildings and libraries," Temple President David Adamany said in announcing Graves' selection.

"We look forward to working with Michael and his impressive architectural design team in creating a center of learning that will enhance the Fox School's role as a regional center for research, training, and business education, and as a recognized leader in international business programs."

Graves, founder of Michael Graves & Associates, said: "Temple's Fox School is well known for its academic excellence and its relationships with the corporate community. I am excited by the opportunity to apply our experiences in both of those arenas toward giving the Fox School a signature building worthy of its future."

"Business school education has been transformed by information technology, innovaton and entrepreneurship, and a truly global economic environment," added Howard Gittis, chairman of Temple's board of trustees. "In addition to providing a modern, world-class facility, this new building will meet the space needs for Temple's fastest-growing college."

The new building will accomodate the Fox School and the School of Tourism, established in 1998 and currently sharing space in Pearson and Vivacqua halls, several blocks away.

To accomodate this rapid enrollment growth, the new structure will include a number of large, technology-enhanced classrooms as well as smaller, flexible learning communities that will foster interaction among students, faculty and mentors from the busines community. It will also provide office space for faculty, staff, and student organizations, lounge and study areas, conference and breakout rooms, computer labs and state-of-the-art business teaching and support spaces. "A physical environment that reflects the business culture to which our graduates aspire will ensure that our students are well prepared and competitive when they embark on their professional careers," noted M. Moshe Porat, dean of the Fox School. "It will also strengthen our partnerships with the business community and our ability to maintain the leadership role in business management education in the region and beyond."