Edward P. Evans Hall Overview and Project Status

Over the next two years, the 242,000-square-foot Edward P. Evans Hall will rise at the northern end of the Yale University campus. The building, with a striking modern design, glass façade, and large courtyard, will serve as the home for the Yale School of Management and will take its place among the architectural landmarks that already distinguish the Yale campus. Construction at the site, located on the east side of Whitney Avenue at the intersection with Sachem Street, is well underway. The 4.25-acre plot has been cleared of previous structures and crews have worked to dig out the space for the underground garage and to begin shoring up the foundation. The structure was designed by Foster + Partners, the prominent firm chaired by Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate Lord Norman Foster ARCH ’62. The materials required for the new Yale SOM campus’s construction give a sense of the project’s scope and ambition: 4 million pounds of steel, 16.2 million pounds of concrete, 2.25 million pounds of glass for the exterior façade, 123 miles of copper wire, and 500 doors. It will incorporate the latest in "green construction" materials and practices. When completed, the new Edward P. Evans Hall will house state-of-the-art classrooms, faculty offices, academic centers, and student and meeting spaces organized around a welcoming enclosed courtyard, all intended to create a teaching and learning environment that will support the school's innovative integrated MBA curriculum and enhance the Yale SOM community. At its center will be the courtyard, which will act as the heart of the school, providing outdoor space to study and socialize. Other key features will include the 350-seat Zhang Lei ’02 Auditorium, the Wilbur L. Ross Library, a dining commons and coffee shop, 16 state-of-the-art classrooms, a student gym, and the Beinecke Terrace Room, a lecture hall/entertainment space with an outdoor terrace providing views of landscaped gardens in the rear of the campus. On April 26, 2011, the school celebrated the official groundbreaking for the campus. At the ceremony, Yale President Richard C. Levin called it a "great day for Yale SOM," predicting that the new campus will be the "last ingredient in taking SOM to the very top of business schools in the U.S. and around the world." Until now, he said, the school's campus, a collection of renovated mansions joined to modern buildings, has constricted Yale SOM's growth. "The new campus is going to be first class in every way," he said. "We will be able to move forward with tremendous energy and look forward to occupying the building as fast as we can build it." While the new campus will be a dramatic departure from the current Yale SOM premises, the new design will incorporate key qualities that have fostered a strong community for three decades. For instance, lounge space has been placed outside classrooms and near staircases, so that students and faculty will have the opportunity to pass each other in the course of moving to classes or meetings, much like the interactions that exist today in the Hall of Mirrors. In addition, its central courtyard, glass façade, and open layout will allow people to see from one area to another across the campus, creating a unifying effect, a sense that activities throughout the building are interconnected. The expansive courtyard will also link Evans Hall architecturally to other Yale buildings built around courtyards, such as the Sterling Law Building and the residential colleges. Throughout the development process, Yale University has striven to be mindful of preserving links to the architectural history of both Yale and New Haven while building for the future. The ground floor will feature the largest gathering spaces, such as the courtyard, the auditorium, and the dining areas. Classrooms, breakout rooms, lounges, faculty offices, administrative offices, and the library are on the upper floors. Even the design and location of faculty offices is intended to maximize interaction, a hallmark of the school’s integrated approach to MBA education. The campus will feature 16 classrooms of varying layouts and sizes, developed after an extensive study of the distinctive Yale learning experience. Once the foundation has been laid and concrete poured and assembled, erection of steel beams is expected to begin this fall. That step will be followed by the installation of the glass façade and then the work to finish the interior spaces.

View a slideshow illustrating the progress over the last several months.

[hana-flv-player video="http://mediastream.som.yale.edu/flash/groundbreaking_slideshow.flv" player="4" width="510" height="287" autoplay="false" loop="false" autorewind="true" autoload="true" /] Design Architect -- Foster + Partners Architect of Record -- Gruzen Samton LLP Construction Manager -- Dimeo Construction Co. Structural, MEP, FP Engineer -- Buro Happold Landscape Architect -- Olin Partnership, Ltd. Civil Engineer -- URS Partnership, Ltd. Lighting Design -- Claude Engle AV/IT/Security/Acoustics -- Arup Audio Visual Consultant -- HB Communications Vertical Transportation -- VDA Food Service Consultant -- Ricca Newmark Design