New Home of Stanford GSB Honored for Sustainability

Citing more innovative sustainable design features than any other business school in the country, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal has named Knight Management Center, future home of Stanford Graduate School of Business, winner of its 2010 Green Project of the Year, Private Award. Sustainability efforts in the new complex, comprised of eight buildings around three quads, include innovative heating and cooling systems, the use of reclaimed building materials, extensive natural lighting and ventilation, and an on-site solar array.

“This recognition validates the commitment made by the GSB from the very beginning of this project,” said Kathleen Kavanaugh, program director of the Knight Management Center. “We knew we were going to reach for the highest-possible sustainability rating, and as a result, our conversations from the beginning of the design process took this path.” Kavanaugh led the school’s Environmental Sustainability Task Force to identify goals, strategies, tactics, and solutions.

The 15-member task force of students, faculty, and experts recommended that the Knight Management Center seek Platinum certification, the highest level available through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The new complex fulfills objectives of the MBA curriculum — overhauled in 2007 — and provides a collaborative living and learning community.

Innovative and flexible teaching space includes: traditional tiered classrooms, small seminar rooms and flat classrooms for experiential teaching, an open “co-lab” for collaborative work employing hands-on designing thinking techniques, and ample meeting space to facilitate collaboration.

“We envision a warm, interactive atmosphere that encourages people to learn, to innovate, and to dream,” wrote Garth Saloner, Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, in a recent letter to alumni and stakeholders. Move-in begins in January and will continue through the spring. The design team on the project includes: Boora Architects; general contractor Turner Construction; engineer Arup; and landscape architect Peter Walker Partners.