The university’s business school was established in 1986. Their Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE; now Enactus) team, based in the business school, was founded in 1991; since then, their  SIFE team has gone on to achieve an unparalleled record of successful competition with teams from other institutions, winning four SIFE International Championships and two SIFE World Cups earning global recognition for the business school. The school’s inspiring motto is: “Create value. Make a difference.” The building was to reflect these values.
                                                               
Project Location:    Riverside, California
Size:            60,263 s.f.
Site Area:       6.2 acres
Construction:       Tilt-Up Concrete/Steel
Construction Budget:    $ 16.5 M All-In
Building Only Cost:    $ 201/s.f.
Completed:         SUMMER 2013

Designed as a powerful, striking statement marking the entrance to the university’s campus, the building takes advantage of a twelve-foot drop across the site to create a strong presence, with grand stairs leading up to its rotunda. To create the building’s stately appearance and conceal the tilt-up joints, the joints were placed at the inside corners between the pilasters and the recessed areas on the building and then covered with strong cornices.  LED lights were tucked up under the cornice to provide the dramatic lighting scene.

A future water quality basin to the Southeast was made in order to create the fill needed for the building.

Inside, the building features a central atrium for daylight that sheds from the upper wing down through the light wells and into the first floor.  In the evenings, a light trough along the roof, as well as linear lights along the atrium walls, shine onto the wing to create pleasant indirect lighting.

The entire building is on axis with the center of campus where the striking Glory of God’s Grace sculpture depicts the story of the return of the Prodigal Son. At the entrance to the building facing the sculpture, a large chandelier is suspended in the atrium space to represent the Holy Spirit and the pillar of fire from the Old Testament. The axis, the pedestrian walkway and the campus entrance defined the placement and orientation of the building.

University Quote:  The building proposal was exceptionally attractive, marked with elegance and grace, full of light and air. It was simultaneously reasonably priced and aesthetically memorable.  —  Dean of the School.

Sustainable Objectives:  While LEED© Certification was not elected for this project, it was designed with several sustainable strategies including water conversation through water efficient landscaping and low volume fixtures; an energy efficient building mechanicals system; daylighting via the atrium and exterior windows; a cool roof; alternative transportation via local mass transit and bicycle parking; increased ventilation; lighting controls; thermal comfort and low emitting materials.