The University of North Carolina is scheduled to begin construction later this year of a $150 million business school facility on its Chapel Hill campus.
Steven D. Bell Hall will enable the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School to admit 50% more students into its Undergraduate Business Program and modernize the learning environment for students in all of its Undergraduate Business, Master of Accounting, MBA and PhD programs.
Bell and his wife, Jackie Bell, pledged $25 million in support of the new building.
Classrooms will be adaptable to support multiple layouts based on teaching style and changing needs semester to semester. Technology will be able to accommodate hybrid and online courses.
The building design incorporates solar panels, extensive open air terraces and large windows. It blends into the natural environment, creating greenspaces and reducing energy use. More trees will be planted in the space than the number removed during construction.
The building will meet LEED Gold standards as a baseline for sustainability with LEED Platinum status as a goal. It is also targeting the goals of the university’s Three Zeroes initiative for sustainability — net zero water usage, zero waste to landfills and zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Over 3,400 students are enrolled this fall at UNC Kenan-Flagler, but it is able to admit only about half of all applicants each year despite their impressive qualifications and accomplishments.
Construction will begin in early December and is expected to take a little over two years.
