Clemson University Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business / L3SP + LMN Architects

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Text description provided by the architects.Clemson University is among the top 20 national public universities, recognized for innovations that enhance students’ access to knowledge and opportunities for academic success. The College of Business’ new home is a 177,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building promoting collaboration, research, interaction with industry, and the flexibility to adapt to ongoing advances in technology and 21st-century learning. Both in and out of the classroom, this open and transparent facility anticipates the future, re-imaginingClemson’s historic campus and establishing a new destination for business education.Honoring the past and looking to the future, the building’s brick façade respects its larger historic context, while modern construction technology allows for maximizing both transparency and energy efficiency – emphasizing daylight, views, and the college’s forward focus.Featured prominently at the highest point on campus, the five-story College of Business creates a ceremonial gateway forClemsonUniversity. Nestled directly into the hillside, the project welcomes students on three levels and opens to Bowman Field at its base, where classrooms link to daily campus life. Above grade, the project reaches skyward to dramatic effect, as spacious, daylight-filled common areas connect students and faculty. A grand outdoor public stair connects new student residences at Douthit Hills with the core campus, framing views to the venerable Bowman Field and Tillman Hall.As the newest building on campus, the College of Business features an expansive glass façade, high ceilings, and a grand connecting stairway illuminating an entrepreneurial focus. Elevating recognition, recruitment and rankings, the complex prepares students to enter today’s competitive marketplace as leaders. A mix of formal and informal spaces encourages hands-on participation through chance encounters, focused study, team collaboration, and group interactions. Generous amenities, including food service and lounge areas, encourage students to linger in the building, enhancing the sense of community.The site for the new College of Business, facing the historic Bowman field, will house the first academic structure on this part of the campus in over 100 years. The building will anchor the development of a new North Academic Precinct, framing a sloped landscape space that will expand Bowman Field, the heart of the campus’ student life.A combination of tiered and flat, flexible classrooms is based on a common module to allow for pedagogical change over time; interaction spaces and landscaped outdoor terraces invite ongoing discussion beyond the classroom. Environments simulating real world experiences in sales and financial trading, along with a designated business incubator, strengthen the chance to join forces with the professional community and launch students’ careers.