Building for Business Knowledge: Constructing a New Business School in the Heart of London

Abstract

An account is given of the planning and construction of the new award-winning building to house the Cass Business School, City of London (formerly the Business School of City University), opened in May 2003, from the viewpoint of the way in which considerations of information and knowledge management permeated the fundamental concept of the building as well as its detailed design features. A major aim of the building was that it should serve as: a world class place for staff, students and visitors to create and share knowledge; a comfortable, efficient and sustainable building; a visible symbol of the organization’s goal to be the intellectual hub of the City of London; a building that helps staff to achieve cultural change internally by breaking down barriers between departments and between different types of staff; and a flexible building capable of being adapted to changing models of learning/teaching or changing economic circumstances. Three additional concepts emerged from the design process: that it should be the intellectual hub of the City of London; that it should combine the very best of technology with a great diversity of opportunities for face-to-face interaction; and that there should be full commercial flexibility. Concludes that the design process benefited greatly from innovative work by researchers, architects, universities and other organizations worldwide that are concerned with knowledge work. The outcome was an acceptance that there is no one right way to design a modern university but each organization needs to carry out its own strategic review to decide what it wants the building to achieve, before there can be any consideration of detailed design work.