Carlson School of Management

With a picturesque atrium as its nucleus, the five-story building includes a 250-seat auditorium, a 180-seat lecture hall, 33 classrooms, 35 meeting rooms, food service facilities and administrative offices. In addition to five computer labs, a computer networking infrastructure runs throughout the entire building. Classrooms are equipped with electrical outlets and network ports at every chair, allowing students to use laptop computers and connect to the digital world.

Prior to completion of the new facility, Carlson School of Management classes were scattered among multiple buildings on the University of Minnesota campus. Today, this state-of-the-art facility is the hub for all business school students. Its eye-catching design and stature also make the Carlson School of Management the focal point of the entire west bank campus.

"Everyone who sees the building comments on how beautiful and well-constructed it is. There have been nothing but positive remarks," says Mike Houston, who was involved in the project as the school's associate dean. "We built a structure that will have a lasting impression."

Compliments continued to roll in well after completion. A worker building additions to a small section of the facility told Houston he was highly impressed with the overall construction quality. That admiration sums up the building's character. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but quality and craftsmanship speak for themselves.