The University of Illinois’s new Electrical and Computer Engineering Building has been named R&D Magazine’s 2016 Laboratory of the Year.
SmithGroupJJR designed the $95 million, 230,000-sf research facility. Located on the school’s Urbana campus, the ECE Building contains the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE Illinois), which is known for its research in transistors, integrated circuits, LEDs and plasma displays.
The award, in its 50th year, honors new and renovated labs that promote sustainable practices and creativity in the design of modern laboratories.
The designers stressed energy efficiency. The building uses 50% less energy than minimum building energy efficiency standards, and it is targeting a LEED Platinum certification. Some of the sustainable feature include high-performance LED lighting, heat recovery chillers with net metering, and a chilled beam cooling system.
A terra cotta rainscreen system covers 70% of the building envelope, while double paned glass covers the remaining 30. Solar screens and a three-story canopy of angled louvers protect the building’s glazing from solar heat gain.
At nearly double the size of the old Everitt Laboratory, the ECE Building has space for separate labs and classrooms, and a lobby with communal seating.
"Our goal was to deliver a building that represents the stature of this world-renowned department, positions its students and researchers at the forefront of emerging technology, and acts as a catalyst for efficient building energy standards on the ILLINOIS campus,” SmithGroupJJR Project Manager Carolina Lopez, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, said in a statement. “This award is a testament of that unparalleled effort and proof that this facility goes beyond bricks and mortar to represent the department’s mission and values.”
Two Illinois-based firms were also on the Building Team. Williams Brothers Construction was the prime contractor and KJWW Engineering Consultants served as mechanical engineer. Construction was completed in 2014.
Related Stories
University Buildings | Jun 29, 2015
Ensuring today’s medical education facilities fit tomorrow’s healthcare
Through thought-leading design, medical schools have the unique opportunity to meet the needs of today’s medical students and more fully prepare them for their future healthcare careers. Perkins+Will’s Heidi Costello offers five key design factors to improve and influence medical education.
University Buildings | May 30, 2015
Texas senate approves $3 billion in bonds for university construction
For the first time in nearly a decade, Texas universities could soon have some state money for construction.
University Buildings | May 19, 2015
Special Report: How your firm can help struggling colleges and universities meet their building project goals
Building Teams that want to succeed in the higher education market have to help their clients find new funding sources, control costs, and provide the maximum value for every dollar.
University Buildings | May 19, 2015
Renovate or build new: How to resolve the eternal question
With capital budgets strained, renovation may be an increasingly attractive money-saving option for many college and universities.
University Buildings | May 19, 2015
KU Jayhawks take a gander at a P3 development
The P3 concept is getting a tryout at the University of Kansas, where state funding for construction has fallen from 20% of project costs to about 11% over the last 10 years.
University Buildings | May 5, 2015
Where the university students are (or will be)
SmithGroupJJR's Alexa Bush discusses changing demographics and the search for out-of-state students at public universities.
BIM and Information Technology | Apr 9, 2015
How one team solved a tricky daylighting problem with BIM/VDC tools, iterative design
SRG Partnership's Scott Mooney describes how Grasshopper, Diva, Rhino, and 3D printing were utilized to optimize a daylighting scheme at Oregon State University's new academic building.
Sponsored | University Buildings | Apr 8, 2015
Student Housing: The fight against mold starts in the bathroom
University Buildings | Apr 8, 2015
The competitive advantage of urban higher-ed institutions
In the coming years, urban colleges and universities will outperform their non-urban peers, bolstered by the 77 million Millennials who prefer to live in dense, diverse, and socially rich environments, writes SmithGroupJJR's Michael Johnson.
University Buildings | Mar 18, 2015
Academic incubators: Garage innovation meets higher education
Gensler's Jill Goebel and Christine Durman discuss the role of design in academic incubators, and why many universities are building them to foster student growth.
