The E.J. Ourso College of Business was ranked No. 10 on a list of the “50 Most Beautiful Business Schools in the World” along with some top institutions such as the University of Cambridge, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The list was complied by TopManagementDegrees.com, a guide to institutions with some of the best management degree programs. The business college is the only Southeastern Conference college to make the list.
The University’s Business Education Complex was designed by Ikon.5 Architects, a New Jersey-based firm, and the principal architect designing the project was Joseph Tattoni.
The complex opened in 2012 and has since served as a specialized area within the University for business students, said Timothy Rodrigue, assistant director for alumni and external relations for the College of Business.
“So with the complex design, we created our own quad, our own mini student union in the rotunda, to give students a place to collaborate and study … to not have to go into the interior of campus or have to go home,” he said.
Business college-related events are now held in the BEC, which wasn’t an option before due to a lack of space, Rodrigue said. The Virginia Courtyard within the complex and the rotunda has made it easy to bring events back to campus, he said.
The Renaissance architecture prevalent on the interior parts of campus is something the architectural firm wanted to incorporate into the design of the BEC, Rodrigue said.
The color of the tile roofing was replicated on the roofs of several buildings in the complex, but are different types of tile, and the metal surrounding the rotunda make arches that are meant to replicate arches in quad buildings.
Rodrigue noted the large amount of glass used on the BEC buildings, and said it is something designers wanted to add to create space with ample light, unlike many of the classrooms in Patrick F. Taylor Hall where a majority of business students previously attended classes.
“That’s one of the reasons why Patrick F. Taylor is doing a makeover, to give it a little more light and draw people into it,” he said.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Charles Champagne

The Business College's Rotunda displays stock numbers Monday, Nov. 25, 2013.