The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah announced plans in April for an incredible new building for student entrepreneurs.

The $45 million building, called the Lassonde Studios, will house about 400 unique student residences and a 20,000-square-foot “garage” where any student on campus can build a prototype, attend an event or launch a company. It will be the place where students “Live. Create. Launch.” The building is made possible by a new $12 million donation from Pierre Lassonde.

“This building is the materialization of Pierre Lassonde’s visionary approach to student innovation and entrepreneurism,” said David Pershing, president of the university. “His enormous generosity and this unique building will make the University of Utah the best place in the country to be a student entrepreneur.”

Groundbreaking is planned for this fall, and students are expected to move in starting fall 2016.

The Lassonde Studios building will be 148,000 square feet in total. It will sit near the heart of campus and the David Eccles School of Business. The exterior design of the building is inspired by the slopes and angles of the canyons along the Wasatch Front. The design team hopes the building will be iconic and help attract national attention to entrepreneurial learning opportunities at the U.

The inside of the building will be just as unique. It will feature a flexible floor plan, so rooms and spaces can be reconfigured as needs and trends change. The student residences will come in several forms, including large lofts for groups and small, moveable “pods” for individuals.

Meanwhile, the ground floor of the building will house the “garage,” which will be a gathering space for student entrepreneurs and have all the tools they will need – 3-D printers, event space, prototyping tools and more.

“The building will be as innovative and entrepreneurial as the activities inside,” said Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. “Students will be able to choose what type of residence they want and what type of creative space they prefer.”

Learn more and follow the construction process at www.lassonde.utah.edu/studios.