Flexibility for new modes of learning

CIF is a new center for learning designed to meet the changing needs of students and faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Located at the northwest corner of the Bardeen Quadrangle along Springfield Avenue and Wright Street, this teaching hub enables collaboration and incorporates new technologies for hands-on learning. The University partnered with developer Vermilion Campbell in a public-private partnership, introducing a successful new financial model for University of Illinois projects.

The building celebrates the university’s mission to cultivate research and discovery and includes flexible classrooms and reconfigurable spaces designed to evolve as needs change. Structure and architecture are carefully integrated, with exposed structural steel elements supporting the building’s architectural massing throughout, seamlessly integrating radiant cooling and heating. Research for structural optimization, fireproofing and MEP were done in collaboration with UIUC engineering students and faculty, and the building itself is now part of the engineering school curriculum.

New spaces that inspire

Collaboration hubs on each floor encourage informal gathering, along with the multi-story Study Steps—a gathering space framed by soaring structural trusses, which extend from floor to ceiling and connect with the levels above. A central circulation spine anchors the building’s public spaces, providing views across all floors and overlooking the Bardeen Quadrangle, the library, and the north-south pedestrian axis. A 60-foot long-span space with flexible partitions accommodates large class configurations, while small classrooms are distributed along the building’s core, and a 500-seat auditorium is located in the lower level. Designed to respect and complement the scale and materials of surrounding buildings, the center is clad in brick and curtains of glass, maximizing natural lighting and enhancing views. 

Comprehensive environmental graphics borrow inspiration from the University’s “power of ‘I” campaign by integrating “I” words such as “innovation” and “inclusion” throughout the building. Large graphic portraits of notable alumni are featured throughout the building, fostering a spirit of ambition and institutional pride among students, and instilling a deeper understanding of their legacy within the university and beyond.