University of Chicago - Booth School of Business

University of Chicago Booth School of Business Gleacher Center Annex

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Booth 455 provides an additional 15,000sf of collaborative teaching/learning space on the ground floor of an office tower adjacent to Booth's Gleacher Center in downtown Chicago. Chicago Booth knew what they didn't want—the same Old Money mahogany and marble found in other business schools—and they knew what they did want—a space like their programs—lucid, rational, productive, and, above all, transparent. The space is long, lofty, and filled with daylight from the extensive glazing facing the urban plaza outside. Everything is organized in three parallel layers. Along the windows are the entry, an open study lounge (also used for receptions), and glass-enclosed conference rooms. Next, low pavilions containing glazed 16 seminar rooms (lined with whiteboards and digital technology) are separated by the reception desk and a study bar/buffet. At the rear, a glazed flat classroom gives professors a laboratory where they can experiment with new instruction techniques, alongside two tiered classrooms for conventional teaching, and support spaces. Throughout, our intention was to clearly organize and connect activities and then get out of the way, letting the activities themselves—intense collaboration between students and professors—take center stage.