Holabird & Root recently completed the design and oversaw the construction of the new Student Life Center at East-West University, located in Chicago’s South Loop area. This design-build project produced a 17-story glass exterior that highlights the vim and vigor of a modern campus, while bridging academic life with the dynamic civic life of downtown Chicago.
The design of the Student Life Center expresses openness by blending the environs of the site with the academic experience inside the building. High visibility is key in the firm’s design approach to strive for mutual interaction. Greeting pedestrians with a ground-floor plaza enclosed with glass walls, the building invites street-level interaction with the public. The “marquee” of the building - a glass column that flows from the 2nd to 17th floor - showcases activities in the vertical student lounge to the city. Instead of presenting itself as an ivory tower, the new Student Life Center at East-West University aims to offer inviting social space to engage the surrounding communities.
In keeping with this philosophy, the building design also allows users of the space to interact with the city. One of Holabird & Root’s prior concerns was to take full advantage of the building’s downtown location. Located in a dense area downtown, however, the site doesn’t allow for any outdoor space, which is an essential interactive element for campus life.
In an attempt to overcome these land constraints, Holabird & Root subverted the conventional campus layout. Interactive outdoor space was moved to the center of the building, resulting in an atrium with connectors to existing buildings. The atrium has lounge space surrounding it. With total transparency, it acts as a “vertical quadrangle” where spontaneous interactions lead to a democratic public space.
By offering an immersive experience of the city, the new Student Life Center turns the surrounding cityscape into an extension of the classroom. The dormitories on the upper floors are designed so that every single room has a view of the city and Lake Michigan. Almost all usable spaces in the building have views to the city and lake as well, as a result of the recessed walls and the heavy use of glass panels. With facilities such as a library, student support spaces, computer labs, an auditorium, and athletic center, the Student Life Center creates a holistic educational experience with all the civic and cultural resources that downtown Chicago has to offer.
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