Richard T. Farmer School of Business
Project Description
Miami University, founded in 1809, has maintained a Georgian Revival style throughout its history. The style and materials of the new Richard T. Farmer School of Business were thus dictated from the very beginning. The new facility was expected to become a recruiting tool for the School of Business, so aesthetics, comfort, technology and sustainability were all expected to exceed the standards of peer institutions.
Project Stats
Location
Oxford, Ohio
Square Footage
210,000
Year of Completion
2009
Project Gallery
The Process
Maintaining the existing pedestrian scale of the campus was a key design consideration faced by Moody Nolan and design architect Robert A.M. Stern. At 231,000 sq. ft. this is a large structure to be placed in a pedestrian scale environment. Height studies led to the inclusion of a basement entirely devoted to classrooms, thus reducing the exterior to a scale compatible with surrounding structures and enabling all classrooms to be within one flight of the entry. Columned porches, cupolas and entrances were all designed to provide visual cues for the entries and to enhance the pedestrian experience by providing cross campus vistas.
The primary organizing feature of this building is a large courtyard leading to a central entry into the Commons and Great Hall, two grand public spaces. Wings reach out from each side of this central block to form the large entry court. A 330-seat multi-use auditorium is placed at the far end of one wing where it is close to the sidewalk and has its own entry and identity. Many sustainable features led to this building receiving LEED Silver Certification.