The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) has opened a 135,000-square-foot computer science facility that will unite researchers and students in computer science, data science and engineering under one roof.
The Computer Design Research and Learning Center, which opened July 16, is organized around a five-story, light-filled atrium and will provide much-needed research and learning spaces for the College of Engineering’s UIC Department of Computer Science, the academic home of about 2,100 undergraduate students.
The new building is supported by the Rebuild Illinois capital plan through a $129.8 million allocation from the University of Illinois Board of Trustees and contributions from several donors.
The university's research and innovation are showcased at the center, which has 16,000 square feet of classroom space, 21 faculty research labs and a 1,200-square-foot robotics lab.
The facility, adjacent to UIC’s Memorial Grove and integrated with the existing Science and Engineering Labs East building, doubles the previous capacity of the department, which had faculty, staff and classes spread across four campus buildings.
The first two floors of the building have classrooms, dedicated spaces for computer science students, rooms for tutoring and teaching assistant sessions and an undergraduate learning and community center for meeting, studying and socializing.
The upper three levels house faculty offices, graduate student workspaces and specialized labs arranged to foster collaboration and discovery.
Other notable building amenities include a dry lab, open study spaces and a multipurpose event space.
UIC is seeking LEED Gold certification for the center, which incorporates a geothermal system beneath Memorial Grove to assist sustainable heating and cooling.
The architects are Booth Hansen and LMN Architects.
