CMU Selects Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners To Design New Gateway Building For Tepper Quadrangle

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The David A. Tepper Quadrangle, an expansion initiative at Carnegie Mellon University aimed at creating a new model of integration across the campus' top-ranked academic disciplines, has reached another milestone in its development. The university has selected the Santa Monica, Calif., firm of Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners to design the first major building in the Tepper Quad, which will serve as a new home for the Tepper School of Business while establishing a new interactive gateway to the university bringing together campus-wide initiatives in entrepreneurship, innovation and technology-enhanced learning.  

The 295,000 square-foot building will be the centerpiece of the university's new north campus and will be located on a 4.5-acre site on Pittsburgh's Forbes Avenue. The creation of this new academic area was made possible by a $67 million gift from the charitable foundation of CMU alumnus and renowned investor David A. Tepper. The university is investing $201 million initially to develop this site and construct its first building.

"More than a physical structure, the new business school building must be designed to create increasingly vital bridges among technology, business and the sciences," said Robert M. Dammon, dean of the Tepper School of Business. "Cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and teaching that is relevant in the modern marketplace is a hallmark of the Carnegie Mellon educational experience. We look forward to working with the architect to incorporate this concept as an inherent part of the new building design."

"Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners clearly recognizes Carnegie Mellon's vision for this project and is well suited toward developing creative solutions in meeting the university's well-defined goals," said Ralph Horgan, associate vice provost for Campus Design and Facilities Development. "Their preliminary design ideas have demonstrated a clear focus in addressing an increasingly cross-disciplinary and integrative approach to research and learning that will bring together the entire campus."

"The new Tepper Quad and the Tepper School of Business present extraordinary opportunities to build on the uniquely collaborative and cross-disciplinary culture of the university and the school," said Buzz Yudell. "Building for a dynamic future, the new school facilities will provide flexible space and technology to support innovation in research and teaching. This will be complemented by a broad array of spaces designed to connect people and nurture community and creativity."

The facility will encourage formal and informal connections for all members of the university community. It will provide flexible space for both private study and collaborative engagement, a 600-seat auditorium for major conferences, lectures and performances, and will incorporate social and dining facilities for students, faculty and staff. It will be designed to facilitate the highest level of cross-campus collaboration, bringing together interdisciplinary initiatives and inspiring the creation of new ones.

The Moore Ruble Yudell design team consists of premier consultants including several local firms. The team includes Renaissance 3 Architects; BuroHappold Engineering (mechanical engineers); Allen & Shariff (electrical and plumbing engineers); Sasaki (landscape architects); Langan Engineering & Environmental Services (civil engineers); Acentech (audio-visual consultants); Colburn & Guyette (food service consultants); and Barber & Hoffman (structural engineers).

The Tepper Quad initiative is receiving financial backing from many alumni and community stakeholders. Earlier this year, the university announced a $10 million gift from distinguished investor and venture capitalist James R. Swartz, MSIA'66, and his wife Susan; a $7.5 million gift from Richard P. Simmons, Pittsburgh civic leader and philanthropist; and a $1 million gift from alumna Gunjan Kedia, MSIA'94, and her husband, faculty member and entrepreneur Sridhar R. Tayur , the Ford Distinguished Research Chair and professor of operations management at the Tepper School of Business. Construction of the Tepper Quad facilities is expected to begin in 2015.

About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon (http://www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 12,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon has campuses in Pittsburgh, Pa., California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico.

About the Tepper School of Business - Founded in 1949, the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University (www.tepper.cmu.edu) is a pioneer in the field of management science and analytical-decision making. The school's notable contributions to the intellectual community include nine Nobel laureates. The school is among those institutions with the highest rate of academic citations in the fields of finance, operations research, organizational behavior and production/operations. The academic offerings of the Tepper School include undergraduate studies in business and economics, graduate studies in business administration and financial engineering, and doctoral studies. 

SOURCE Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University