Chicago Booth is excited to be carving out a new outpost in Asia. A project to renovate the historic Mount Davis site, which is in the approval process, would create a University of Chicago center fit to house the Chicago Booth Executive MBA Program in Asia. The site, found within dense urban landscape of Hong Kong, would establish a new intellectual hub in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
First a little history: Mount Davis served as an artillery battery in the 1930s and after World War II was converted to a mess and clubhouse for British officers. It later served as a government detention facility.
Fast forward to its future use, the buildings will be adaptively reused and key architectural elements would be preserved in accordance with local conservation management guidelines, this according to Gavin Tun, director of project management for Booth and the University of Chicago.
“The school intends to preserve the history of the site,” Tun said.
The gross floor area of the grounds is approximately 52,000 square feet, with the proposed new building accounting for approximately 43,000 square feet.
The building designs have been submitted for Town Planning approval.
“The center will allow us to engage even more effectively with the business and academic communities in Hong Kong,” said Sunil Kumar, Chicago Booth Dean and George Pratt Shultz Professor of Operations Management. “It will be a testament to our lasting commitment to educating leaders in the region.”
Information used in this post come from this press release on the Chicago Booth website.
The Current Mount Davis Timeline:
- Land grant submission – January 2015
- Town planning submission – January 2015
- Town planning approval – June 2015
- Land grant execution – June 2016
- Construction start – August 2016
- Occupancy – August 2018