The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has opened a nearly 100,000-square-foot academic building for its business college after two years of construction.
The News-Gazette reports that Steven S. Wymer Hall is the new home for the Gies College of Business.
The university broke ground on the $105 million project in April 2023. The facility is named for Steven S. Wymer, an alumnus of the Gies College and a portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments. He donated $25 million to the project.
Wymer Hall's student-centric floors feature more casual study nooks with booth-style tables that can be used any time.
Upstairs, private study rooms are available for reservation and include sizable tables, whiteboards and projectors to work on a larger scale or practice presentations.
The college says the building also has traditional and flexible classrooms, an auditorium for 200, studios and sound stages for online education, as well as academic offices and support spaces.
The interior is painted primarily in white, with pops of orange and blue appearing throughout and a large video wall that’s set to feature student success stories and interactive elements down the line.
LMN Architects, one of the building architects, says the facility is targeting LEED Platinum and LEED Zero Energy certification. The all-electric building incorporates geothermal heating and cooling, off-site solar power, and a high-performance envelope, LMN says.
