VIDEO: Farrell Hall Construction Milestone Celebrated

WFUSB Farrell Hall Topping Off Ceremony from WFU Schools of Business on Vimeo.

More than 200 Wake Forest University Schools of Business students, faculty, staff, alumni and Board of Visitors members clapped and cheered as they watched the final steel beam being lifted and set into place on top of Farrell Hall, the future home of the Schools of Business.

Witnesses to this construction milestone were able to sign their names on the beam before it was hoisted up in the air by a crane and moved into place on April 13.

Wake Forest University President Nathan O. Hatch said, “It has been exciting to watch Farrell Hall, the physical manifestation of our commitment to the teacher-scholar ideal and faculty-student interaction, rise up out of the ground. When complete, it will be a space that both reflects and supports the distinctive mission of our Schools of Business.”

“As we witness this historic moment, I am reminded of just how many people have donated their time, financial resources and expertise to make Farrell Hall become a reality. Thank you for your contributions to the future home of the Schools of Business,” added Steve Reinemund, Dean of Business.

Plans were announced for the project in October of 2011 when Mike and Mary Farrell of Summit, N.J., parents of 2010 Wake Forest Schools of Business graduate Michael Edward Farrell, contributed $10 million toward the $53.5 million dollar facility. It was the largest cash commitment ever by living individuals to the University and the largest commitment to the Schools of Business to date. Mike Farrell is chairman, chief executive officer and president of Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NLY), the largest listed residential mortgage real estate investment trust on the New York Stock Exchange. Farrell Hall is named in honor of Mike Farrell’s late father, Michael John Farrell.
Construction began April of 2011, and the building is scheduled to be completed in July of 2013.

The 128,000 square-foot Farrell Hall, designed to change the nature of business education, will feature sophisticated technology and innovative design to create an environment where faculty-student engagement can thrive. Built around a “living-room” concept that brings faculty and students together in new ways, the building was designed to include flexible classrooms and collaborative spaces, allowing both graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to learn intimately and intuitively within a shared space.

The three-story building will include a 400-seat auditorium funded by the Broyhill Family Foundation. The Broyhill Auditorium will be home to the Broyhill Leading Out Loud Executive Lecture Series, created to educate and inspire business students through exposure to industry leaders shaping today’s business world.

A central 8,200 square-foot Founders Living Room, which Reinemund refers to as the “soul of the Schools of Business,” will provide a collegiate environment to enhance interaction among students, faculty and staff. Adjacent to the Founders Living Room, the Reynolds American Foundation Terrace and Gardens will extend into a naturally wooded area. Students, faculty, staff and visitors will have access to a vibrant open-air space, which complements the overall aesthetics of the building and allows the collaborative space in the building to extend outdoors.

Classrooms will also reflect a flexible, interactive approach and will use a flat-floor design where desks can be easily reconfigured from a lecture-style set up to a style suited to group projects.

The Bern Beatty Colloquium, an innovative space for learning and meeting, will be named for Bern Beatty, a long-time professor of management at Wake Forest. The space is designed for faculty presentations and small lectures.

Robert A.M. Stern Architects designed the building to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards. Frank L. Blum Construction Co. is the general contractor.