Running at full capacity, the Carlson School of Management and the Department of Economics selected our team to design a new building to accommodate the growth of its undergraduate and evening MBA programs. Our paramount design objective was to enhance the Carlson School brand, with the new facility seen as a natural extension of the existing CSOM building.  To that end, the same brick, stone and cast stone of the existing building were selected for Hanson Hall.  A curved glass-and-steel façade allows natural light to penetrate past the atrium, a central gathering and circulation space, deep into the building’s interior. Comprising 135,000 square feet, Hanson Hall includes four 125-seat classrooms and five 75-seat classrooms with state-of-the-art presentation and education technology, as well as small-group work areas and offices that address the progressive educational needs of the business-education school.

The new building was selected as a pilot project of the State of Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines.  Throughout the space, we incorporated recycled materials and finishes, materials with low embodied energy, lighting controls, and energy-efficient and water -saving systems.