Chicago, Illinois, USA
The Academic and Residential Complex (ARC) is a new, LEED Gold mixed-use building at the University of Illinois at Chicago, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz architects exemplifying how the spirit of convergence and collaboration can apply to campus design.
This architectural project has been awarded a 2021 American Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
A diverse group of University stakeholders and a private developer partner came together in an interactive programming effort to reimagine the campus living and learning experience.
The result is an integrated living/learning community composed of a 131,000-square-foot, 10-story undergraduate residence hall and 52,000-square-foot, two-story academic classroom building.
The two volumes are connected physically on two levels and visually through a distinctive façade of glazed and concrete components.
Designed with a “nod to Netsch,” the original architect of the campus, the building’s façade and interiors echo the geometric movement expressed in Netsch’s “field theory” and distinctive architecture.
The residential tower houses 554 students in traditional and semi-suite units and includes two faculty-in-residence apartments.
Shared amenities include study and social lounges on each floor, a fitness center, and a ground floor, student-operated Starbucks.
The transparent and active ground floor infuses the campus with a sense of energy,
exposing the activities within the building to the surrounding area.
The top floor features a sky lounge with commanding views of Chicago’s iconic
skyline.
The ARC features a variety of modern classrooms, most notably three, technologically-sophisticated, large lecture halls, which seat between 192-288 students.
They are organized in a turn-to-team configuration, allowing one row of students to turn and share a table with peers sitting behind them, transforming from lecture presentation to group work instantly.
Break-out spaces are provided throughout the building to encourage collaboration amongst students and help foster faculty-student interactions.
The ARC has created a community of learners and a new typology of modern classroom environments, combining tenants of wellness and technology to support student success.
As campuses look to stretch their capital resources, mixed-use buildings like the ARC demonstrate both the economic and experiential opportunities created by merging disparate programs into one facility.
Project: The Academic and Residential Complex – The University of Illinois at Chicago
Architects: Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB)
Client: The University of Illinois at Chicago
Owner: American Campus Communities
Contractor: Pepper Construction
Photographers: Dave Burk Photography and Steve Hall, Hall+Merrick Photographers
