Dr. E.J. and Margaret O’Brien Hall is Marquette University’s new College of Business building. Inclusive design strategies focus on providing generous space, enhanced wayfinding and clear paths, visual transparency and clarity of programmatic spatial organization, quality lighting and daylight, and reduction in sensory noise. Multiple iterations of glazing system and daylight analysis studies formed an approach to understand the impact of quality daylighting. The project targeted overall energy reduction of 27% from baseline (EUI 35) by using a high-performance building envelope and glazing systems tuned to provide specific performance characteristics for specific orientations, offering a dense frit to lower solar heat gain, reduce glare and enhance visual comfort in the open study spaces throughout the atrium. As a result, every regularly occupiable space in the building has access to visually comfortable quality daylight and thermal comfort.

It’s also worth noting as a project completed during the onset of the pandemic, classroom spaces are specifically designed to be to accommodate all modes of learning, from in-person to hybrid to virtual learning.