The Queen opens Tanaka Business School at Imperial College London
-Foster and Partners
For immediate use
Thursday 24 June 2004
Her Majesty The Queen officially opened the newly-built Tanaka Business School at Imperial College London today. The Queen was accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of York.
Funded by a £25 million donation from technology investor and Imperial alumnus Dr Gary Tanaka of Amerindo Investment Advisors Inc, this landmark building creates a highly-visible entrance to the College on Exhibition Road, London SW7.
The Business School's new home is designed by international architecture, planning and design studio Foster and Partners, and includes a multi-purpose Forum area, a vertical stack of interactive lecture theatres, enclosed study spaces and a café and breakout area.
The Queen and The Duke of York were greeted at the entrance of Tanaka Business School by Sir Richard Sykes, Rector of Imperial College, who introduced members of the Tanaka family and Lord Foster. Principal David Begg then led a tour of Tanaka Business School that included a visit to a lecture theatre where Professor of Finance David Miles and students discussed the mortgage industry.
Imperial's research commercialisation activities were described to the Royal Party with a demonstration of the telecare research partnership between the Innovation Studies Centre at Tanaka Business School, the Government and Tunstall Group. Professors David Gann and James Barlow of the Innovation Studies Centre explained the technology to The Queen who watched an online medical consultation take place with Business School academics Rifat Atun and Richard Curry playing doctor and patient.
The group also met Professor John Kilner, and alumni Bruce Girvan and Steve ODea of Imperial spin-out company Ceres Power, which is developing fuel cell technology to produce a method of energy supply that is secure, sustainable and low-polluting. The team explained the science behind Ceres Power and showed a mock up of the fuel cells in action.
Imperial MBA students Kevin Baughan, Akin Oyesola and Keval Patel, silver award winners in this years European Business Plan of the Year competition, were also present to display their trophy.
Welcoming Her Majesty, Sir Richard said:
"The building in which we now stand represents another step in bringing to fruition the far-sighted vision and wisdom of your ancestor, Prince Albert. Far ahead of his time, he recognised that people would live better, in a more prosperous country, if art and science were properly directed to useful purposes.
"Innovative science and scientists are essential to successful industry. It is entirely fitting, therefore, that our Tanaka Business School is at the very portal of the College. We compete on a global stage, and to have a building, as splendid as this, on one of Londons great thoroughfares, sends a message to the world about the role of learning and discovery in this fast changing world and Imperials contribution to that.
"I am delighted to pay tribute to a 21st century philanthropist - our alumnus, Dr Gary Tanaka. We are here to celebrate his magnificent gift and the creation of our Business school, so aptly named after him."
Before departing, The Queen and The Duke met Imperial guests, staff and students at a reception in the building atrium where The Queen unveiled a plaque commemorating their visit.
The Queen is Visitor of Imperial College London. She last visited the College in 1998 when she opened the Sir Alexander Fleming Building, also designed by Foster and Partners. The Duke of York attended in his capacity as the UK's Special Representative for Trade and Investment.
Photographs and film of the opening are available on request.
For further information contact:
Abigail Smith
Imperial College London Press Office
Tel: 020 7594 6701
Email: abigail.smith@imperial.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About Imperial College London
Consistently rated in the top three UK university institutions, Imperial College London is a world leading science-based university whose reputation for excellence in teaching and research attracts students (11,000) and staff (6,000) of the highest international quality.
Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions, which enhance the quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.
Website: www.imperial.ac.uk
About Dr Gary Tanaka
Dr Gary Tanaka has been principal and director of Amerindo Investment Advisors Inc. since its inception in 1979.
Dr Tanaka gained a BSc in Mathematics from MIT in 1965 and a PhD in Applied Mathematics from Imperial College in 1970.
About Foster and Partners
Foster and Partners is an international studio for architecture,
planning and design led by Norman Foster and a group of Senior
Partners. The practice is based in London but has project offices
in a dozen different countries. Since its foundation in 1967, the
practice has been responsible for a strikingly wide range of
projects, from urban masterplans, airports, civic and cultural
buildings, offices and workplaces to private houses and product
design. In recent years the practice has completed projects as
diverse as the New German Parliament in the Reichstag in Berlin,
Chek Lap Kok International Airport in Hong Kong and the Great Court
at the British Museum in London.
Tanaka Business School is the fourth Foster and Partners building
on Imperial College Londons South Kensington campus.
About the Tanaka Business School
Boasting high achievements in both research and teaching, Tanaka Business School at Imperial College London is looking to the future as well as celebrating its past success. The School's main objectives are to contribute to advanced teaching and to research at the interfaces of management, technology and innovation. Tanaka's broad focus is upon issues of industrial performance, especially on the management process of innovation and change, primarily, although not exclusively, at the level of the firm and the industry.
Tanaka Business School currently offers six postgraduate programmes of education: a full-time MBA ; a part-time (executive) MBA ; an MSc in Finance; an MSc in Health Management ; a new distance learning MBA ; doctoral study. Research spans the breadth of the business world and current work encompasses the fields of Accounting, Economics, Quantitative Finance, Health Care Management, Public Sector Management, Strategic Management, Marketing, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Website: www.imperial.ac.uk/tanaka
About the Estates Division
The Estates Division at Imperial College London is dedicated to developing, constructing and maintaining the College estate to provide a quality environment suitable for world class teaching, learning and research.
The Estate provides a built environment of approximately 500,000m2, including research laboratories, clinical and hospital space and residences, with around 90 hectares of sports and recreational space, together with farm and research land at Silwood and Wye covering some 425 hectares.
Imperial College London is investing ¬500m (£350m) over the next three to five years on prestigious schemes such as the Tanaka Business School, 1,000 unit residences and major refurbishments. In excess of £70m is spent each year to replace, upgrade, service and maintain our building stock. This investment reflects the Colleges commitment to remaining world class in science, technology and medicine to continue attracting and retaining the best students and staff.
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