The faculty for Economics and Management (FEM) in Utrecht is part of the so-called Kasbah zone of the campus that aims to preserve the existing feeling of open space by condensing the building programme and allowing open space only within the footprint and not between the buildings. The six departments of the school sought to define a new single identity, while at the same time preserving a sense of independency. The identity of the school as a whole is determined by the collective spaces; entrance lobby, library, ‘mediatech’, restaurants and lecture rooms for up to 400 people, are positioned to the front of the building complex. There are three patio gardens within the building with specific characteristics; the water patio, the jungle patio and the ‘Zen’ patio. Educational functions, such as classrooms and staff facilities, are located to the rear of the building. Each department centres on a ‘study square’, where students can meet for informal study purposes. The building programme forms several groups that are expressed by distinct architectonic typology and materialisation. The internal circulation routes are spacious to cater for the large numbers of students, each with a different character to aid orientation. By developing the principle of the Kasbah zone to its full extent, the new FEM combines a unified and strong exterior with a rich and complex quality of the inner space.