It is an academic program with a global reputation.

The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business has produced six Nobel laureates among faculty or alumni, more than any other business program. The GSB's standing has resulted in campuses to Singapore and Barcelona, Spain, in addition to its Hyde Park and Loop locations.

About 3,000 full- and part-time students are enrolled.

Yet the school that can boast a lofty academic status seemingly falls short in regards to its facilities at the flagship Hyde Park campus.

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The GSB occupies seven buildings, and the faculty offices and classrooms that are widely dispersed take away from the community that contributes to the culture of learning and scholarship, said Leann Paul, an independent consultant in Chicago.

"Because of the way the buildings were scattered, it was difficult for a student to see a faculty member or even for faculty members to run into each other informally," she added.

Furthermore, the school's numerous locations do not harmonize well with today's MBA and doctoral students who frequently spend whole days on campus, said Allan Friedman, the GSB's executive director of communications.

Many hold group-study sessions. Some use computers or other university facilities.
Still others have coffee or meals between classes and late into the evening.

As a result, the GSB's $125 million home under construction at 58th, Woodlawn and Kimbark streets is designed to bring together students, faculty and staff and serve them well.

"Getting the students under one roof for an entire day is a big benefit," Paul added.

Home at GSB

Key elements were incorporated into plans because of the desire to make the GSB a home during the day for students.

For instance, a variety of fare will be incorporated in food service because the same food over time becomes "boring," Friedman said. Locker-room space will be ample so students can store a suit for a job interview. A fireplace in a lounge will lend the building a homey touch.

Seating outside the classrooms provides a spot 3,000 people throughout the building, Paul said.

The facility is high tech. Classroom equipment includes three projector screens and projectors, and input sources for each projector will operate a computer, DVD player, VCR and TV.

In planning for equipment needs, a mock-up of a classroom was made and installed in a warehouse near the United Center, and students and faculty toured the facility for their opinions.

One faculty-inspired request was to put the substantial amount of equipment in the lectern, rather than in a cabinet on the side. "The faculty doesn't like that because they have to turn their backs on the class and walk somewhere else to put in a DVD," Paul said.

Construction started in May 2002 and is expected to finish in September.

The seven-level facility will hold about 400 rooms, of which 320 will be for faculty and staff offices. Other major spaces include 12 classrooms, 34 group-study rooms, management laboratories, interview rooms, computer rooms and multipurpose rooms.

The classrooms will be located in the first level below grade. The second below-grade level will hold mechanical rooms and 145 parking spaces.

Context is Key

Led by New York-based Rafael Viñoly Architects PC, the design team faced the thorny task of reflecting the renown of the school but without detracting from its world-famous neighbors: the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Frederick C. Robie House and Rockefeller Memorial Chapel.

Tens of thousands of people visit these structures each year, especially the Robie House because of its listing on the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The neighbors further complicated the project because of their different architectural styles. The Rockefeller Chapel to the west has the soaring tower, arched window frames and quatrefoil ornamentations of the Gothic style, and the Robie House to the north has the ground-hugging look of the Prairie School of Architecture.

A key strategy was to put the two levels of the 415,000-sq.-ft. GSB underground to avoid overpowering the neighbors, Paul said. In addition, the five levels above grade gradually step down via massing so the building's elevation has the height and proportions comparable to neighboring structures.

"If you're on the 58th Street sidewalk, you don't see the full height," she added. "It does not feel like a five-story building looming above."

Stylistic elements were incorporated that echo the GSB's neighbors but treated in a contemporary manner to give the structure its own identity.

For instance, the GSB's horizontal massing and cantilevered corners reflect the Prairie style, said Douglas Zalis, Viñoly project manager. The glazing and limestone materials that form the massing have a contemporary flair, while the Robie House's brick dates the structure to the previous century.

Once inside the GSB, some Gothic elements stand out.

The 85-ft.-tall winter garden in the center calls to mind the ceremonial hall inside Rockefeller Chapel, Zalis said. Four soaring columns with ribbed vaulting support the space and convey the feeling of grandeur.

Unlike the Gothic style's traditional masonry, however, the winter garden is treated in a contemporary manner with steel and glass.

"Think about four martini glasses sitting next to each other," Paul added.

A jig was built onsite to assemble the four columns, and four lifts were needed for each column.

A stairway and terrace were incorporated on the GSB's northwest corner so students and passers-by can view Robie. These were integrated into the GSB because in the past, people on Robie tours were frequently taken across the street where the GSB is located to see the house from a distance.

"Even the Robie House people like the idea," Paul added.

A Sitework Soiree

Sitework issues were nettlesome.

The building's 46-ft. depth was a concern because of the possibility of settling or cracking of nearby streets and foundations during excavation, Paul said. The installation of sheeting to hold back the excavated walls would have meant "weeks" of metallic pounding with a hammerhead.

A system of 2-ft.-thick concrete walls formed with slurry was used to anchor the site.
The process began with the pouring of two parallel concrete guide walls along the entire perimeter.

Typically, a clamshell bucket is placed on a hook to excavate between the guide walls, but on the GSB, a different machine was used instead, said Nicholas Canellis, project manager in Chicago with Turner Construction Co., the construction manager. The machine, a Casa Grande, looks like a caisson rig and allowed two 20-ft.-long sections to be excavated the full depth each day, rather than one.

Slurry's properties prevent the walls from collapsing, and the slurry was pumped in as excavation occurred, Paul said. A rebar cage was inserted, and concrete was pumped in. As the concrete goes in, the slurry comes out for capture and reuse.

Once the 75 panels were formed, excavation started and lasted six weeks to remove 110,000 cu. yds. of dirt. About 200 tiebacks were drilled under the adjoining streets as the excavation moved forward.

"The tiebacks were to stabilize the wall after it was excavated and before we had our steel structure in place," Paul added.

There, too, issues arose. For example, the Manitowoc 777 crane with 250 tons of lifting capacity would have been insufficient to place the approximately 3,000 tons of structural steel.

For one thing, the building was too wide. The earth-retention panels might also have been overloaded, especially during the lifting of girder beams for placement below grade, Canellis said.

As a consequence, the tiebacks had been upsized to handle increased capacity. In addition, a path was carefully laid out for a second crane with 80 tons of lifting capacity to be driven onto a structural slab in the site with shoring.

"The large crane on top fed the girders into the building, and the other crane picked them up and rolled them into place," he said. "While it was down there, it set the first section of the winter garden columns."

Logistics Get Tricky

The complicated sitework affected the logistics.

The large building resulted in 12,000 truck visits for dirt removal, Canellis said. And, the building-dense area meant only Woodlawn Avenue could be used for access and departure.

Trucks came in the site and left with a load every three minutes for six weeks, Paul said.

Keeping the campus from getting muddy was a concern, so a street sweeper was brought in and ran nonstop. About 2,500 mi. was put on the machine just by circling the construction.

Trucks came in from and departed to the Dan Ryan Expressway only, and maps were specifically detailed to get them into the neighborhood and out of it so that the impact on residents was minimal.

"We had a detailed system to notify neighbors about what they might find disruptive, what would happen and how long," Paul added.