Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship

Built as a significant addition to the 1920's Luksic Hall, the design for the Center for Entrepreneurship uses brick, limestone, and slate to harmonize with the adjacent building, but also expresses a distinctive identity through contemporary materials and a glass curtain wall.

Building features include:

An exhibit display area with interactive programs that educate students, visitors, and program participants about the role of entrepreneurship in American culture. The exhibit area also highlights famous graduates and their entrepreneurial ideas and products. Hanging displays of everyday products that were created by entrepreneurs bring alive the subject of entrepreneurship for exhibit viewers.

A teleconferencing center with rear projection screens and data and microphone ports in flexible arrangements to allow several configurations in a seminar-type room.

A "cyberforum," with electronic whiteboard and large screen monitors, that provides informal space for faculty and student interaction.

An archive resource center which is electronically connected to the Babson Library, archives, and a database of entrepreneurs.

A second-floor reception terrace to host gatherings for students, faculty, visiting dignitaries, and scholars.

Project Information

Building Owner:

Babson College

Owner Contact:

David Peduto

Building Location:

Wellesley, MA UNITED STATES

Project Type:

Expansion

Principal Building Function:

Teaching, exhibit hall, faculty offices

Project Timeline

Aug 1996	Planning Start
Dec 1996	Design Start
Dec 1997	Construction Start
Aug 1998	Completion
Last known status: Completed

Construction Cost:

$4,400,000

Cost Per Sq. Ft:

$261

About These Cost Figures

Building Information

Project Includes:

Business School
Conference Room
Education
Education: Classroom
Education: Library
Museum
Video Conferenceing Center

Total GSF:

17,000

Total NSF:

15,640

Efficiency:

92%

Building Population:

120

People Density:

142 gsf/person

Building Services:

Video conferencing, distance learning

Project Team

Architect

CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc.

Builder

Shawmut Design and Construction

Consultant - Accoustical

Acentech Incorporated

Consultant - Exhibit Design

Christopher Chadbourne and Associates

Consultant - Landscape Architect

Carol R. Johnson & Associates

Consultant - MEP Engineer

SAR Engineering, Inc.

Consultant - Structural Engineer

Souza, True & Partners

Profile Created 03/31/2001

Last Updated 04/04/2006

About the Reported Cost Figures

The cost figures reported are supplied by the firms that submitted these projects for publication, which in most cases are the designers or builders. Whereas these sources are intimately familiar with their projects, they may not be fully aware of the owners' finally-realized and recorded costs. In some cases, costs are truly and completely accounted for, and in others they represent a near approximation of the final costs. Costs have not been adjusted for year of construction, nor has any attempt been made to make regional cost adjustments.

Further, costs are not comparable on any kind of detailed standard costing model. Hence, it is possible for the cost of one building to include a steam boiler, while the cost of a comparable building might not include the boiler, if steam is being supplied from an already existing campus grid. Or, in another case, a building might include excess boiler capacity to supply steam to another building. Some submittals include fees or unusual site improvements as part of the construction costs, which others do not.

Fig. 1

Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship