MSU plans grand opening for $53M Gianforte Hall

Montana State University is holding a grand opening ceremony for Gianforte Hall, a building intended to provide space for computing-related fields, including cybersecurity, film, photography and music technologies, at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10.

The outdoor event is free and open to the public. Scheduled speakers include Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, MSU President Brock Tessman, dean of the College of Arts and Architecture Dean Adams, dean of the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering Christine Foreman and director of the Gianforte School of Computing John Paxton. Guests are invited to tour the building after the ceremony.

The Gianforte Family Foundation donated $50 million to help fund the three-story structure. Other donors include engineering college alumnus Norm Asbjornson, a 1960 mechanical engineering graduate and namesake of MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering; and Jeff and Lydia Trom, who have ties to MSU through their daughter’s enrollment in the liberal studies program and Jeff’s service on the Department of Computer Science Advisory Board. Additional support came from Zoot Enterprises, a local software company.

The total cost of the building is approximately $53 million, according to MSU.

“There are a lot of people who deserve thanks for helping Susan and me in the early days of our business,” Gianforte said at the groundbreaking for the building in April 2024. “We’ve been especially grateful for our relationship with MSU.”

Gianforte served as a guest instructor at MSU in 1997. He and his wife, Susan, are longtime supporters of and donors to MSU.

“Gianforte Hall reflects the extraordinary impact of philanthropy on Montana State University and its students,” said Fran Albrecht, president and CEO of the MSU Alumni Foundation. “We are grateful to the Gianforte Family Foundation, Norm Asbjornson, Jeff and Lydia Trom, Zoot Enterprises and all the donors whose generosity made this transformative facility possible.”

Gianforte Hall will be home to the Gianforte School of Computing, which is part of the engineering college, as well as programs from MSU’s College of Arts and Architecture, including film and photography and music technology. The space includes a state-of-the-art film studio and production classrooms, a music tech classroom and a music recording studio.

The combination of computing and the creative industries sharing space is expected to provide opportunities for collaboration between students and faculty working in multiple areas. Classes will be held in Gianforte Hall this fall.

The nearly 58,000-square-foot building incorporates multiple sustainability features. The features include geothermal systems linked to MSU’s South Campus Energy District, which reduces energy use by allowing interconnected buildings to share thermal energy to help heat and cool each other.

Gianforte Hall is also the university’s first mass timber building, which means its primary structural elements are made from sustainably engineered wood products other than conventional steel or concrete. The top of the cantilevered, sloped roof is white in color to reflect sunlight to minimize heat absorption.

The building features classrooms honoring computing pioneer Grace Hopper; famed NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson; and Alan Turing, whose ideas laid the foundation for artificial intelligence.

Hennebery Eddy Architects and Lake Flato Architects designed Gianforte Hall. Swank Enterprises served as the contractor.