The University of Utah’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is one step closer to becoming an international destination for student entrepreneurs, innovators, and “makers,” as it breaks ground on the Lassonde Studios.
The five-floor, 148,000-sf building will merge more than 400 student residences with a 20,000-sf “garage” open for any student to attend events, build prototypes, launch companies, and more.
“This is a new type of building focused on experiential learning,” said Troy D’Ambrosio, Executive Director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. “The Lassonde Studios is the culmination of more than a decade of growth and achievement. We are already a nationally-ranked university for entrepreneurship. This remarkable building will make a great program even better and allow us reach many more students.”
The Lassonde Studios will open to students in fall 2016.
In conjunction with the groundbreaking, the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute released new details about the building, including living options (modular pod, loft, and traditional), elaborate architectural renderings, and amenities in the “garage.”
The Lassonde Studios is designed to be as innovative as the students and activities that will be inside. The Institute is working with an internationally-recognized architectural and design team to create a space that will define a new type of university environment and inspire entrepreneurs for decades to come. Partner companies include EDA Architects, CannonDesign, and ARUP. Gramoll Construction is the general contractor.
“Everything about this building has been unique and different, even our design process,” said Mehrdad Yazdani, of Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign and the lead designer for the Lassonde Studios project. “We started by challenging our assumptions about student housing and exploring the boundaries between where students live and work. The result is an entirely new campus building typology.”
The heart of the Lassonde Studios will be the “garage” on the first floor. It will be a mostly open space with moveable furniture to accommodate a wide range of activities. It will feature co-working space, private offices for startup companies, a cafe, lounge space, and a prototyping area with 3D printers, sewing machines, hand tools, and a laser cutter.
The garage space will be open to all student at the university, and it intended to function like a student union for entrepreneurs and innovators.
“We want to accelerate the time it takes for students to see their ideas become a reality, and we want to give them a place where they can meet and form interdisciplinary teams,” said Taylor Randall, Dean of the David Eccles School of Business. “The University of Utah already has a vibrant community for entrepreneurship. The Lassonde Studios will galvanize that community, and it will give every student the opportunity to pursue their dreams.”
The four floors above the “garage” will provide three types of housing, as well as additional co-working, study, and “maker” space. The living options include:
-
Moveable “living pods” – Designers invented this type of housing exclusively for the Lassonde Studios. The pods will be 7x7-foot, private living areas with beds, shelving and storage. The pods will be moveable within a larger, multi-use suite. Each suite will contain bathrooms, a kitchen and community “maker” space.
-
Loft rooms – Groups of students will be able to live together in a large, open space where they share creative space and a kitchen. These rooms will provide students with an urban lifestyle in the middle of campus.
-
Single and Double rooms – Students can choose standard rooms for individuals or to share with one other person. Groups of these single and double rooms will share creative space and kitchens.
The Lassonde Studios is made possible through the vision and support of Pierre Lassonde, a successful entrepreneur and MBA alumnus of the David Eccles School of Business. In addition to founding what is now the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute with a $13 million donation, he gave $12 million more to build the Lassonde Studios and support the activities inside. The remainder of the building costs will be paid for by other donations and rents from those living there. No taxpayer money is being used.
“Pierre Lassonde has a vision to make the University of Utah the best place in the country to study entrepreneurship,” D’Ambrosio said, “and the Lassonde Studios is helping make that dream come true.”
Related Stories
Building Tech | Apr 12, 2016
Should we be worried about a tech slowdown?
Is the U.S. in an innovative funk, or is this just the calm before the storm?
Multifamily Housing | Apr 7, 2016
Multifamily and Specialized Housing projects honored in 2016 AIA Housing Awards
A San Francisco low-income mixed-use complex, a Los Angeles homeless veterans housing facility, and a series of student residential buildings at UMass were among the winners.
Green | Apr 4, 2016
AIA report analyzes 20 years of the best green projects
"Lessons from the Leading Edge" is a study of the 200 Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Award winning projects since 1997.
Architects | Apr 1, 2016
Adrian Smith earns UIC’s Legacies and Leaders Award
The Chicago architect graduated from the school and created a scholarship for aspiring architects.
Architects | Mar 31, 2016
Zaha Hadid dies at 65
Often credited as being a pioneer for women architects for her work in a male-dominated field, Hadid had designs commissioned around the world from London to Hong Kong to Cincinnati.
Architects | Mar 31, 2016
Auto-shading windows and point-of-decision design are among the research projects to receive AIA funding grants
Firms represented by the projects and initiatives receiving grants include HKS, DO|SU Studio Architecture, and McClain + Yu Architecture and Design.
Hotel Facilities | Mar 30, 2016
The Usonian Inn, a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired motor lodge, is on the market for $665,000
The Usonian Inn proudly displays many Wright-inspired characteristics, the most prominent of which is the use of cantilevered overhangs.
Designers | Mar 30, 2016
A technical pen for the modern age
Morpholio’s new ScalePen feature dynamically sets line weight depending on the scale or zoom level of the drawing.
Architects | Mar 29, 2016
Why drawing remains relevant in the design process
Hand-drawn concepts allow ideas to emerge and build stronger connections between the design and the audience, as Gensler Principal and Design Director Alex Fernández writes.
Education Facilities | Mar 28, 2016
Steven Holl wins invited competition to design Rubenstein Commons
The new Rubenstein Commons will be a 20,000-sf structure at the center of the campus for the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J.