Classroom R1220 Ross School of Buisness

The room that I have chosen for analyzation is classroom R1220 located in the new Ross School of Business 2009 building designed by architect Kohn Pedersen Fox. The room holds about 80-90 students and is used to likely used to house a number of different business themed classes and lectures throughout the day. 

Aside from the fact that this room is located in the business school, there are a number of aspects in this room's layout and contents that properly tailor it for business classes. First, the room is structured similarly to an auditorium in a more intimate space with 4 different levels of seats, this not only gives students in every row comfortable viewing positions but it also grants the focus of the room, be it a professor giving a lecture or a student presenting a proposal, a full view of their audience and their reactions (Below image). This direct form of public speaking is both reminiscent of and good preparation for students entering the business world when they will have to address boards of directors or investors. Also, as the world business is a complex and constantly evolving field, there are a number of different formats to deliver different types of information installed in this room. This includes two projection screens, a microphone enabled podium, as well as four white boards located at both the front and left of the room (Left and right images).  

Finally, the overall aesthetic of the room is reflective of it's business themes in addition to it's layout and contents. In tandem with the rest of the Ross School, classroom R1220 contains very geometric and inorganic themes throughout it's design. The appearance is so straight and jagged that the only slightly curved forms in the room are some of the tables in the center. Also, while there are two windows, the majority of the light in the room is inorganic, produced from the overhead lights. Third, R1220 is nearly completely symmetrical when facing the back or front of the room (Below image). This inorganic theme found throughout the room's aesthetic design helps compliment the business focus of the school by emanating a sense of data, logic, professionalism.