DENTON (UNT), Texas -- University of North Texas business students will start the Fall 2011 semester in a new, high-tech building, designed to prepare them for a changing business world.

Some of the 180,000-square-foot building's features include a securities trading room with a dozen Bloomberg kiosks and stock tickers, an executive board room, 24 classrooms, a café, computer labs, study and tutor rooms, and an entire floor dedicated to faculty offices and meeting spaces. In a departure from academic tradition, faculty offices will not be organized by department, a design feature encouraging interdisciplinary research.

The building is expected to receive gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which means the building's design and construction met strict environmental standards.

"Not only will the Business Leadership Building visually change the face of the UNT campus, it will also mark a major change in how we facilitate student learning," said Finley Graves, dean of UNT's College of Business. "The building's infrastructure will combine energy efficiency, high-tech amenities and more opportunities for faculty-student interaction. This facility reinforces our commitment to academic excellence and to leadership in business education."

UNT President V. Lane Rawlins said the new Business Leadership Building is part of a wave of new university facilities symbolizing that UNT's dedication to providing students the best education has never been stronger.

"Everything we do at UNT is in support of our students, so when we build, it's not just to make room for more students on a booming campus. We've created a state-of-the-art environment to inspire students and help them become the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs," Rawlins said.

The building will use cloud computing as its main computing platform, which allows all students and faculty to access College of Business software and applications from anywhere in the world, at any time, without having to be in a computer lab in the building. Each classroom features two video projection screens, document cameras, fast internet connections for using live video with HD video cameras, and fast wireless internet access. Meeting rooms have video conference capabilities, document cameras, projection screens, wireless microphones and telephones.

Construction on the $70 million building began in 2009. It is designed to accommodate more than 7,500 students.