Dean Rich Lyons will swing the first sledgehammer May 26 to begin construction on the new Koret high-tech classroom, a project funded through the Haas School's Campaign for Haas capital campaign.
The classroom will be built in the space now occupied by F320, with construction expected to last until December. To make way for the new classroom, the Center for Executive Education has moved to the fourth floor of 2000 Center Street and the Xlab will be moving into S460.
Construction crews also will be on campus this summer painting the exterior of the Haas School building. Painting is scheduled to begin June 1 and last until Aug. 14. To get a glimpse of what the completed work will look like, take a peek on the south side of the Student Services building, where a mock-up has been painted.
The Koret project includes a 70-seat high-tech, air-conditioned classroom and two breakout rooms. The classroom will be equipped with state-of-the-art video conferencing, dual-screen projectors, document reader, extensive white boards, and high-tech lectern with touch screen controls. A "confidence monitor" will allow the instructor to face the class and, at the same time, see what the students see on the boards and screens behind the instructor.
The classroom also will have moveable chairs and individual microphones and electrical and cable access connections at each seat. The plans include many acoustical enhancements, such as foam insulation in the floor, robust acoustical paneling, and window blocking.
The breakout rooms will feature 65-inch display screens, electrical and cable access in the table, and cameras to record class sessions, mock interviews, presentations, and behavioral laboratory research.
The high-tech classroom is being funded in part by a $1.5 million grant from the Koret Foundation, a private philanthropic organization created by the estates of Joseph and Stephanie Koret, who founded the Koret of California sportswear line. The Haas School received the grant during the silent phase of its five-year capital campaign, which officially launched last fall with the goal of raising $300 million.
The contractor has agreed to minimize construction noise as much as possible, with the noisiest activity limited to 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Construction typically will take place from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Haas School is creating a website dedicated to space plans that will provide updates and information on various projects. A twitter feed also will be created to provide construction updates and alerts to those who wish to be kept in the loop on space and construction updates on a more regular basis. An email to announce the launch of the twitter feed will be sent out to the Haas community later this month.