Challenge

The architectural design for the new Executive Center at the Kellogg School of Management on Northwestern's Evanston, IL campus features a dedicated media creation floor and specialized hybrid streaming classrooms.

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Early proposals leaned heavily on built-in, high-capital technology; a direction that carried long-term risk: rapid obsolescence, operational rigidity, and reliance on costly external technical support. Despite their price tag, these designs weren't built to scale.

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As project team advisor, the challenge was bridging the gap between architectural ambition and functional reality, creating spaces that could evolve alongside emerging educational technology without locking the institution into yesterday's infrastructure.

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Process

The work began with a thorough audit of the existing blueprints, then expanded through benchmarking interviews with leaders from large-scale film studios, BCGX, and peer academic institutions.

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That external research was layered with internal stakeholder discovery to map the long-term service models and staffing needs the spaces would need to support. From there, the goal came into focus: find the intersection of financial sustainability and technological flexibility.

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The resulting specifications pivoted away from permanent fixtures toward a modular, infrastructure-first model capable of supporting a wide range - and evolution - of digital products and services over time. These revised requirements were successfully integrated into updated plans delivered to the lead architects at KPF.

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1. Discovery & Benchmarking Thorough audit of the existing blueprints, included benchmarking interviews with leaders from large-scale film studios, BCGX, and peer academic institutions.
    

2. Stakeholder Alignment Layered external research findings with internal stakeholder interviews to map long-term service models and staffing support for the new spaces. 
   
   From there, the goal came into focus: specify a flexible, modular-style classroom technical support system that met all the needs: faculty and staff desire, technical flexibility and innovation, and financial sustainability.  
    

3. Strategic Specification & Integration Provided detailed building and equipment specifications, pivoting away from permanent fixtures toward a modular, infrastructure-first model capable of supporting a wide range - and future evolution - of digital products and services. These revised requirements were successfully delivered within the designated one month time frame in July 2022 and continue to be part of the final building plan, due to open in the Fall of 2027.

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Outcome

While the redesigned modular media equipment layout is estimated to save the Kellogg School several million dollars at the outset ($5M - $7M E) and more in projected long-term costs, perhaps more important is the capability to constantly innovate with new technology. As the number two rated business school in the country and the number one rated executive education program, Northwestern's new state-of-the-art business education center should be designed to continually flex to the latest technologies for learning and innovation. By shifting from built-in hardware to a mobile-first, modular equipment model, the spaces became genuinely versatile - capable of supporting diverse media formats as needs evolve.

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The final build includes a large-scale filming and streaming studio, individual faculty podcasting suites, and a hybrid lecture hall engineered for seamless interaction between remote and in-person participants, all supported by robust soundproofing, specialized electrical infrastructure, and high-capacity storage.

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Set to open Fall 2027, the facility is on track to become a model for modern academic architecture - high-end production capability paired with the agility the next generation of hybrid education demands.