Connie & Kevin Chou Hall

A state-of-the-art learning laboratory for Berkeley Haas students. Open Fall 2017.

 

Haas Fast-Forward

Advancing management practice

Connie & Kevin Chou Hall is devoted entirely to student learning and interaction—there are no administrative offices in the building. Located on the northern edge of the Haas campus, it creates a quad around the Robert G. O'Donnell Courtyard. Its bold, modern design complements the three existing Berkeley Haas buildings while providing cutting-edge facilities to accommodate future advancements in management education—a place where classroom and digital learning work together to foster community and provide a world-class education.

 

Ideal Location

Strengthening the Berkeley Haas network

The Bay Area provides a uniquely vibrant atmosphere for management students and professionals, and the Berkeley Haas community both taps into and fuels that energy. Offering sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay Area, the event space serves as the hub of public activities, where the Berkeley Haas community can network and hear new ideas from faculty, alumni, and other top business leaders and thinkers. And with balconies on all floors and a design that enhances the view, visitors will always be aware of Berkeley Haas' prime location.

 

Facts & Figures

Connie & Kevin Chou Hall by the Numbers

Facts & Figures Facts & Figures Read More
 

More Facts & Figures

 

  • Developer: Partnership for Haas Preeminence
  • Architects: Perkins+Will
  • General Contractor: Vance Brown Builders
  • ~24,300 square feet of exterior window
  • 1,700,000 pounds of rebar
  • ~5,700 cubic yards of concrete
  • 17,000 square feet of writable surfaces (whiteboards, writable paint, and writable glass)
  • Infrastructure for video capture (streaming or recorded) and audio/video teleconferencing in all classrooms
  • Monitors accommodating multiple student connections in group study rooms
  • Ability to remove tiered seating in the future to accommodate new classroom designs
  • View the building on our webcam
 

Student Focused

Harmonizing classroom and digital education

Connie & Kevin Chou Hall provides learning and collaboration spaces for the 21st century. With flexible classrooms and study areas and technology to support digital education, its design nurtures evolving learning modes and environments–both on campus and online. Enrollment at Berkeley Haas has nearly doubled over the past 20 years to 2,300+ undergraduate and graduate business students in seven degree programs. Connie & Kevin Chou Hall increases the Haas School's space by a third, allowing for future expansion.

 

Environmental Investment

Celebrating sustainability through design

Connie & Kevin Chou Hall is on track to be the country's greenest academic building. The building's Zero-Waste initiative—a first for this nation's business schools—aims to divert 90 percent of waste from landfills and achieve Zero-Waste certification by summer 2018. Designed to be 40 percent more energy- and water-efficient than similar buildings, Chou Hall is also the first academic building in the country designed for both LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum and WELL certifications, the latter a designation reflecting a focus on user health and well-being.

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Environmental Investment

Design emphasizes efficiency and green construction

Eco-friendly construction

  • Materials from rapidly renewable content, such as acoustical panels using bio-based fabric
  • 10% of building materials from recycled content–including wood from trees removed from the construction site
  • Exposed structural elements, such as polished concrete floors, to reduce the need for additional materials
  • 10% of building materials extracted and manufactured within 500 miles
  • 75% of construction waste will be recycled or salvaged

Water use reduced by 40% through

  • Rainwater harvesting to reduce building water consumption
  • Water-efficient landscaping–a net-zero increase in storm-water runoff
  • Water-saving toilets and bathroom fixtures

Energy efficiency improved by 38% through

  • Solar shading, high-performance windows, and a reflective roof
  • Daylight-controlled LED lighting
  • Cooling fans and pumps controlled by adjustable-speed drives
 

Community Driven

Alumni and friends make new building a reality

Like the existing Haas buildings, Connie & Kevin Chou Hall is completely community funded. These founding donors led the way.

Dr. Connie Chen and Kevin Chou, BS 02
Connie Chen is a physician and co-founder of the digital health startup Vida Health. Kevin Chou is the co-founder of mobile game company Kabam. Berkeley Haas has named the building after the couple in recognition of their donation, the largest personal gift by an alumnus under age 40 in UC Berkeley history.

Carol and Ned Spieker, BS 66
Ned Spieker is the managing partner of the private real estate firm Spieker Partners and lead partner for the building. He found ways to cut costs and construction time, provided funding, and encouraged others in the Haas community to support the project.

The Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund
Douglas Goldman, MD, BA 74, is chairman and founder of Certain Inc. and a philanthropist.

Sue and Robert G. O’Donnell, BS 65, MBA 66
Bob O’Donnell is a retired senior VP and director of Capital Research and Management Company.

Sharon and Barclay Simpson, BS 43
The late Barc Simpson, who passed away in 2014, was the founder and chairman of Simpson Manufacturing Co.

Discover more building donors and named spaces in Connie & Kevin Chou Hall: A Partnership for Haas Preeminence