Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business

The greatest success of this project has been the exceptionally positive reception by faculty, MBA candidates, and the campus community. The classrooms and public venue spaces in the building are highly sought after for the program's curriculum, lectures, college events, and outside community functions.

In the fall of 2009, Mills College opened its doors to a new, architecturally innovative, 28,000-square-foot building that embodies the business school’s core values: entrepreneurial leadership, collaborative learning, and socially responsible practices to transcend boundaries. The program consists of flexible teaching spaces, welcoming suites for faculty and graduate students, and gracious public common areas that include a versatile indoor/outdoor porch and gathering hall.

The design promotes a philosophy of passive sustainable strategies supplemented with innovative building technology. Throughout the building, large and small decisions contribute to substantial overall conservation. Innovation is most prominently showcased in the indoor/outdoor porch’s living roof, as it provides numerous energy and ecological benefits to the building and its occupants. On a more subtle level, reclaimed wood from a Montezuma cypress tree formerly located on the building site was crafted into artisan benches and coffee tables for the porch and lobby areas. Overall, the thoughtful integration of sustainable strategies throughout the building serves to educate and inspire its occupants while also providing measurable energy, resource, and cost savings.