The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/ Siebens Forum

Click on image titles for larger views.

Harold Walter Siebens School of Business, Buena Vista University

Institution Name: Buena Vista University
Original/Historic Place Name: Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/ Siebens Forum
Location on Campus: mid campus
Date(s) of Construction:

1985	original construction Growald, Martin

Designer: Martin Growald
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Postmodern (Glossary)
Significance: education
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: poured concrete

Walls: red brick and limestone

Roof: sod (underground building)

Function:

ca. 1985-present (2006)	student union (bookstore, student services)
ca. 1985-present (2006)	auditorium
ca. 1985-present (2006)	dining hall
ca. 1985-present (2006)	classrooms

Narrative:
The Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum is the center of activity on campus. Named for a major benefactor, whose gift of $18 million in 1980 was the largest per student gift at that time, the building contains classrooms, various services for students, an auditorium, dining facilities, and has conference facilities for use by organizations from both on and off campus.

It is a two and a half acre underground building with a southern exposure, constructed in this way to conserve energy and to preserve the view of Storm Lake for the rest of campus. The Romanesque arches on the exposed facades have become a binding stylistic element for all subsequent buildings on campus.

References:

Cumberland, William H. History of Buena Vista College. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 1991.

Dober, Lidsky, Craig and Associates, Buena Vista University Campus Plan. [Belmont, MA: Dober, Lidsky, Craig and Associates], 1999.