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Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper Quad Project – Vision and Program Plan

Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Carnegie Mellon University engaged brightspot, which is now a º£½ÇÊÓƵ company, to create the vision and program for a next generation business school. Working with leadership, faculty, staff, and students, brightspot charted a course for a new kind of facility that promotes connection and collaboration across the University and within the business school.

This vision was realized by MRY Architects & Planners and º£½ÇÊÓƵ in the award-winning building that opened in 2018. As a hub for technology-enhanced learning and research, the five-story business school features 305,000ft² of collaborative, flexible spaces for students and staff.

brightspot, which is now a º£½ÇÊÓƵ company, was tasked with outlining the vision and program for a next generation business school.

brightspot engaged leadership, faculty, staff, and students to craft a vision for a new kind of facility that was guided by the principle of interconnection.

This process culminated in a design brief that mapped out the vision, requirements, and strategies for the new building.

Challenge

brightspot was challenged with breaking the mold of a traditional business school, which required a unique process. 

Solution

This began by building on the work of a previous study and ongoing site and infrastructure strategy. Next, brightspot engaged leadership, faculty, staff, and students to craft a vision for a new kind of facility that was guided by the principle of interconnection, not only within the Tepper School but across the different disciplines of the university.

By imagining the future experiences of Tepper students, faculty, staff, and visitors, brightspot was able to identify the activities, spaces, services, and technology needed. Through an iterative space modeling process, brightspot tested different scenarios for the growth of different academic programs and then forecasted the appropriate amounts and types of space needed to meet the School’s evolving needs. The team identified key concepts for the organization of spaces to enable flexibility, collaboration, and identity for different programs.

brightspot got our complexity and was able to adapt and flex with us. They helped us think about where we wanted to go and turn our vision into something more concrete – which programs are going to grow, what are the spaces, and how do they go together.

Bob Reppe, Senior Director of Planning and Design, Carnegie Mellon University

This process culminated in a design brief that mapped out the vision, requirements, and strategies for the new building – one that features first-rate amenities in a flexible, collaborative environment for learning and research.

To deliver on the vision of interconnection, the program includes several university-wide functions: the campus welcome center, a café, a fitness center, an entrepreneurship center, and shell space to accommodate growth. By offering varied places to work, meet, and learn, this design promotes productivity, inspires useful interactions, and enhances quality of life. The design is also adaptable enough to support the growth of the School and its programs.

The brightspot team identified key concepts for the organization of spaces to enable flexibility, collaboration, and identity for different programs. Image: brightspot.

Value

The David Tepper Quadrangle – home to the Tepper School of Business and at the intersection with CMU’s six colleges and schools – opened in Fall 2018 and promotes an enhanced ecosystem of cross-campus collaboration. Business students in the Tepper Quad have the opportunity to interact and network alongside engineers, computer scientists, roboticists, and other interdisciplinary peers to solve problems and make an impact locally and globally.