Voith and Mactavish Architects has designed the Business Innovation Building at Lehigh University. This project resulted in a 74,000 square foot LEED Gold-certified facility that houses the Vistex Institute for Executive Education and features an in-the-round lecture hall with four LED arrays hanging above a podium-less space.
The interior of the Business Innovation Building also boasts a pitch room for practicing presentations, a business communications suite for writing and speaking skills, hybrid learning classrooms with advanced camera and sound systems, as well as modular furniture. Students can take advantage of a television studio and a one-touch video recording studio, and the Lehigh Ventures Lab business incubator for early-stage entrepreneurs.
The Business Innovation Building’s double-height lobby with fritted glass and an exterior canopy that controls sunlight opens onto an outdoor courtyard that can welcome 200 people.
Image Credit: Jeffrey Totaro
What's Driving This Trend
- Experiential Learning Hubs
- Immersive, multi-use facilities combine executive education, startup incubation, and media production into integrated ecosystems that redefine campus-industry collaboration.
- Hybrid-audio Visual Classrooms
- Advanced camera, sound, and LED-array technologies enable synchronous in-person and remote participation models that transform course delivery and event monetization.
- Modular Collaboration Spaces
- Reconfigurable furniture and pitch rooms support flexible team workflows and episodic programming that alter how organizations stage ideation, training, and demos.
Who This Affects Most
- Higher Education
- Universities with LEED-certified, tech-enabled facilities position themselves as revenue-generating continuing education centers and innovation partners for corporations.
- Corporate Training & Executive Education
- Providers of leadership development can leverage in-the-round lecture halls and one-touch recording studios to offer immersive executive experiences and scalable digital products.
- Real Estate Development
- Developers of campus and commercial space can capture premium demand by delivering adaptable, sustainability-focused buildings that host hybrid events and incubators.
