a modern multi-story building
Photography by Laurel Dailey ('05)

Talbot East is more than just the eye-catching new structure next to Calvary Chapel; it’s a building that will revolutionize the Biola University campus. In addition to adding much-needed classroom space (eight new classrooms to be exact), the building centralizes the Department of Biblical and Theological Studies, bringing together in one space — for the first time in decades — the diaspora of professors who teach undergraduate Bible classes through Biola’s Talbot School of Theology. Below, take a look at some of the most exciting features of the 30,617-square-foot building.

Offices

a man reading a newspaper in an office
The second and third floors house 29 new faculty offices and two for support staff, plus three conference rooms.

Conference Room

a conference room with a large table surrounded by chairs
The Dwight and Vicki Hanger Conference Complex features two conference rooms equipped with video equipment for presentations and video conferencing. The larger of these (pictured here) is enclosed by curved translucent glass — a striking contrast to the angular lines of the overall building.

Exterior

exterior views of a modern building
The exterior grey panels surrounding the Talbot building are made from a material called Trespa, made of recycled paper and wood pulp mixed with a resin, forming a hard, rigid, long-lasting material. Seventy percent wood-based, Trespa is a certified “green” building material and appears as various shades of grey throughout the day, depending on the sunlight.

Scripture Window

a window with text written on it
Two south-facing Scripture windows provide one of the building’s most distinct features: laminated glass featuring Scripture that reflects shadows onto the floor and walls inside the building in different ways throughout the day. The letters — which spell out Zechariah 4:6 on one window and John 15:5 on the other — are made of material that boosts the energy-efficiency of the windows.

Prayer Chapel

views of a small modern chapel interior
The hidden treasure of the new Talbot building, the Fred and Ruth Waugh Prayer Chapel is the epitome of “sacred space” on campus. Featuring a wavy ceiling made of reclaimed cedar and olive wood (from Biola’s own olive trees), unique carpeting reminiscent of a Bedouin tent and colored art “stained glass” squares, the chapel has quickly become one of the most beautiful and contemplative spots on campus.

Jerusalem Stone

a stone wall
Featured in the sunken plaza and in the main lobby are these “Jerusalem stones” taken from a quarry in Israel outside the ancient city of Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac are buried.

Classroom

a classroom with a whiteboard, tables and chairs
One of the building’s eight new classrooms, which will house both undergraduate and graduate courses. One of the classrooms is a homiletics lab, specially designed to teach the art of preaching; it features an instructor viewing space with one-way glass, where instructors can record commentary on top of a DVD of the student’s sermon.

Banquet Room

a large room with projector screens, tables and chairs
The sizable Duane and Becky Andrews Banquet Room will seat 168 for dining and 180 for lectures, adding a much-needed multipurpose space for university events.

Donor Wall

a wall with names that reads Above All Give Glory to God
The donor wall, which includes the names of more than 800 donors who contributed to the building project, starts at the plaza level and soars upward for two stories, with the phrase “Above All Give Glory to God” featured prominently. The wall also includes a collection of “stones of remembrance” that commemorate the 40 days of prayer and fasting in 2010 that preceded the historic fundraising period known as the “Miracle of May.”