Business visionary Henry W. Bloch made a lasting impact in the business world by founding the tax firm H&R Block. When making plans for their new business school, named in Bloch’s honor, the University of Missouri Kansas City made certain that the facility would also make a lasting impact on the business community by providing an innovative learning environment. The new Executive Hall for Entrepreneurship and Innovation pays tribute to Bloch’s accomplishments, while instilling critical characteristics in the next generation of business leaders. The school offers a broad spectrum of active-learning classrooms (ALCs) and hands-on learning environments where students learn by doing.
Packed with start-of-the-art technology, the 64,000 GSF facility contains five ALCs, all of which include raised access flooring and flexible furniture, allowing maximum flexibility and utility. These rooms accommodate high levels of distance learning, fostering collaboration between remote participants. Systems allow for any input to be routed to any input making audio, video, desktops, and files completely mobile. The 200-seat auditorium features flexible seating and a quad-projection system which uses edge blending technology to deliver stunning images. Adjacent, two 80-seat tiered ALCs host slightly more intimate sessions. Outside in the atrium, 20 flat panel displays comprise an impressive media wall, used for presentations and digital signage. The “Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame” is also in this space, highlighting the stories of successful businessmen and women.
Behavioral research is conducted in the B-Lab. Administrators monitor trials distributing content from a central control room, which is behind one-view glass. Media content streams on displays in the clinical testing rooms, and video capture systems record the subject’s reaction. Results and consumer trends are then processed and analyzed in the control room. The Financial Lab acts as a mock trading room and doubles as a computer lab. A stock ticker informs students of the real-time status of the market. In addition, flat panel displays broadcast financial news streams, data, and world clocks. Prototypes are built and tested in the innovation lab. This large, open space has flexible furniture, allowing students to collaborate freely as they set the foundations of their business. Each semester, students can reserve one of twelve breakout rooms, which serve as their home base and business development office for the duration of their project.
