MSU’s Jabs Hall wins award for design excellence

Jabs Hall is alive with activity as students attend classes. MSU photo by Kelly Gorham.

American Institute of Architects bestows award

Montana State University’s Jabs Hall, home of the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, has been recognized with an award for design excellence.
Jabs Hall and Comma-Q Architecture, a Bozeman-based firm, recently won the Merit Award from the Montana chapter of the American Institute of Architects, or AIA.
AIA’s professional jury lauded the design of Jabs Hall, including its elegant lines and balanced composition. The jury also recognized the materials selected for the building as well as its numerous sustainable design features.

Jabs Hall features geothermal wells that supply ground-sourced water for heating and cooling the building and an on-site stormwater management system recognized for its exceptional performance. In addition, the building’s energy model anticipates an annual savings of 41 percent in energy costs.

Jabs Hall previously received national recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED ‘Gold” building. It also won a sustainability award from the Montana chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, a top project excellence award from the Montana chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies, and first place for the best project in the higher education/research category in the mountain states region of the ENR Regional Best Projects Awards.

Jabs Hall opened on the MSU campus in 2015. It was funded by a $25 million private gift from Jake Jabs, a Montana native and Montana State College alumnus, who announced the gift in 2011. The gift is also being used for new scholarships and new academic programs in entrepreneurship, professional skills development, and fostering cooperative work between business students and students in other disciplines.

In addition to Comma-Q Architecture, members of the team that worked on Jabs Hall included Hennebery Eddy Architects, Dick Anderson Construction, Morrison-Maierle, Arup, and Kath Williams + Associates.