Sauder School of Business unveils $70M facility revamp into global education hub
Today, the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia announced the opening of its new home on the Vancouver campus. The $70-million revitalization and expansion will allow the school to become a global hub for business education, adding 55,000 square feet to the original 216,000 square foot structure.
“We are tremendously proud to have built this extraordinary new home for business education in Canada with the support of our entire community,” says Sauder School of Business Dean Daniel Muzyka. “Encouraging innovation requires an inspiring environment that fosters creativity and collaboration. Our facilities now match our ambition to be one of the world’s preeminent hubs for business innovation and idea generation.”
The redevelopment of the Sauder complex includes a new facility for Sauder’s Robert H. Lee Graduate School, a dedicated undergraduate centre, a spacious rooftop conference centre, and three new lecture theatres. Further enhancements include revitalized classrooms, state-of-the-art learning and videoconferencing technology and significant new environments for student collaboration and study. A fresh façade spans the front of the pre-existing complex, providing a bold new face for the school.
Sauder ranks among the top 20 business schools globally for research, and is known for the impact of its faculty and alumni. Recognized as a leader in integrative teaching approaches and the creation of new business knowledge, the school is now equipped with the exceptional learning and research environments needed to become a leading global destination for business education.
“Preparing students for success after graduation requires learning environments custom-built for the constantly evolving skills needed in the world of business,” says Dean Muzyka. “Our new teaching spaces help students and faculty embrace participatory and collaborative learning models, reinforcing the kind of dynamic interchange of ideas that drive the most effective organizations.”
Highlights of the expansion and revitalization include:
The Robert H. Lee Graduate School: A substantial new space dedicated to graduate programs, the centre provides classrooms, along with meeting and breakout rooms equipped with videoconferencing technology, a private patio, and environments for socializing and individual study.
The Bruce R. Birmingham Undergraduate Centre: The centre features new group and individual study spaces, a lounge, and technology-equipped classrooms, meeting rooms and breakout rooms.
The Hari B. Varshney Business Career Centre: Located at the main entrance to the building, the new career centre brings together the Sauder academic and business communities. Working to create deep and lasting connections with leading employers, the centre provides extensive resources to position students for success after graduation.
The Jim Pattison Leadership Centre: Featuring two new major lecture theatres, the centre also includes conference rooms, student offices and lounge spaces.
The Big 4 Conference Centre: Supported by the “Big 4” professional services firms – Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers – the new conference centre is housed in a glass-encased penthouse on top of the faculty office tower. Providing 360 degree views of mountains and ocean, the centre offers a new space to for faculty, staff and students to interact with alumni and members of the business community.
The Middlefield Group Lecture Theatre: A 260 seat state-of-the-art lecture theatre with associated conference rooms.
Canaccord Learning Commons: Expanding well beyond the functions of a traditional business library, the Commons provides a digital media studio, computer workstations, collaborative work spaces, and reference and technical support services. An online commons environment meshes the digital and the physical worlds, connecting students to each other and available resources and activities.
Wayne Deans Investment Analysis Centre: Offering Bloomberg terminals, Standard & Poor’s Capital IQ workstations and Thomson Reuters Datastream workstations, the analysis centre is a powerful hub providing students and faculty dramatically increased access to global capital markets data in real time.
K.T. Tjia & Anna Chia Atrium: A five-level sky-lit atrium travels through the centre unifying the new and legacy structures, and acts as a focal centrepiece to the updated complex.
d.studio: Created to support the exploration of new ways of approaching business challenges, this design studio space provides the creative environment and technology necessary for collaborative and creative investigations of business and policy design challenges.
CA Hall: A large-scale central foyer surrounding the atrium, the new hall is a welcoming light-filled environment equipped with substantial lounge space and offering extensive room for student and public gatherings.
In 2006, the school launched the Opening Worlds Campaign chaired by Sauder alumnus Fred Withers, Ernst & Young’s Chief Development Officer for Canada, to support the revitalization of its facilities on UBC’s Point Grey campus. In total, $52 million was raised with generous support from the community, as well as Sauder’s undergraduate and graduate students, who pledged financial support through special building fees. Lead donors to the Opening Worlds Campaign include Robert H. Lee, Jim Pattison, Bruce R. Birmingham, Canaccord Financial in honour of Peter M. Brown, Middlefield Group and friends, Hari B. Varshney, the Tjia & Chia Family and Wayne Deans.
To date, the Sauder School of Business building has been recognized with a 2011 Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture, 2010 Canadian Interiors Best of Canada Award, 2010 Sustainable Architecture & Building Canadian Green Building Award and a 2010 Vancouver Regional Construction Association Award of Excellence. The building redevelopment was designed by Acton Ostry Architects Inc. and constructed by Scott Construction Group with UBC Properties Trust as project manager.
The Sauder School of Business is one of the world’s leading academic business schools, recognized globally for its contributions to the transformation of business practices through innovative research and teaching. With more than 3,000 students, Sauder offers a wide range of bachelors, master’s and PhD programs. The school has more than 31,000 alumni in 74 countries around the world.
Media Contact:
Andrew Riley, Public and Media Relations Manager
T: 604-822-8345 | E: andrew.riley@sauder.ubc.ca
Images are available upon request.
