Set to open in the fall of 2024, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) School of Business is moving from the historic Anderson Hall to a new 38,5000-square-foot building located in what was formerly known as Parking Lot 8. This $87 million construction project will expand the classroom space for the school’s growing population.
Since 2015, School of Business enrollment for undergraduate and graduate programs has increased by 58%. According to Melissa Garrety, the project planner with Planning, Design and Construction, “[t]hey never had a lot of space to begin with, and then they’ve grown significantly, so now they’re really pressed for space.”
This new building will increase the 23,800 square feet of space provided by Anderson Hall and the second floor of Olmstead Hall, bringing the School of Business’s total to 63,400 square feet. One of the oldest buildings on campus, Anderson Hall, only has one 80-seat classroom, a 32-seat computer lab and a 36-seat classroom, so many classes are held in off-campus locations such as the movie theater in University Village or other departments on campus to accommodate the growing class size.
Doubling the space previously provided by Anderson Hall, the new School of Business building will include two 80-seat classrooms, a 350-seat auditorium, a computer lab, a studio to record media, study areas, a student lounge, 20 faculty offices, 59 administrative offices including one for the dean, a faculty and staff lounge, an executive meeting room and group meeting rooms.
Just south of Anderson Hall, the new School of Business building hopes to accommodate the recent growth of UCR’s business programs and provide both undergraduate and graduate business students with a “sense of home” on campus.
The Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building aims to provide “easy engagement, a healthy academic environment, and a sense of empowerment” to UCR’s business students. For more information about the building process and sustainability of the new School of Business building, read “Unearthing UCR’s construction projects” by Senna Omar and Emyr Ortiz.
