University of Illinois opens all-electric business school classroom building designed for net zero
At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the recently completed Steven S. Wymer Hall puts Gies College of Business on a path to become the university’s first college to achieve net zero energy. The building is targeting LEED Platinum and LEED Zero Energy.
With an adjacent geothermal field that provides year-round heating and cooling, as well as offsite solar power, the all-electric building is designed to meet and offset its total energy consumption. Other energy strategies include a high-performance envelope with minimized glazing to reduce heat gain and energy loss. In addition, locally sourced brick and limestone, salvaged materials, and reduced-emission finishes reduce the building’s embodied carbon footprint.
The 97,789-sf, four-floor building provides flexible instructional spaces for in-person, remote, and hybrid education.
The lower two floors house six hybrid classrooms, a 200-seat auditorium, experiential learning team rooms, and informal learning areas. Professionally outfitted broadcast and recording facilities—including two large soundstages, five black box studios, and six master control booths—support the school’s online graduate programs. Also on the lower levels, daylit atria serve as central gathering spaces that connect classrooms, studios, and public areas.
The upper two floors feature faculty and staff offices and shared workspaces around central collaboration areas. A third-floor roof terrace offers study and gathering space under a tensile solar shade.
“By integrating innovative learning environments, advanced broadcast studios, and ambitious net zero energy strategies, we’ve created a building that not only reflects Gies College of Business’ forward-thinking mission but also sets a new standard for how academic architecture can support fast-changing pedagogies,” Mark Nicol, LMN Architects principal, said in a statement.
With hand-laid brick, quarried stone, and natural metal, Wymer Hall draws on the Urbana-Champaign campus’s neo-Georgian tradition of brick and limestone while responding to its contemporary and postmodern neighbors.
Centering occupant wellness, the building features a daylight-filled interior, biophilic design, and enhanced indoor quality supported by CO2 sensors, chilled beam technology, and low-emitting materials.
Green roofs and landscaped terraces mitigate the urban heat island effect and support stormwater management. Native plants both reduce irrigation needs and provide pollinator habitat. Bird-friendly glazing and dark-sky compliant lighting limit ecological disruption.
The building also offers bike commuting facilities, nursing rooms, and inclusive restrooms.
On the building team: Vermilion and Campbell Coyle (developers), LMN Architects (architect), Booth Hansen (associate architect), Saiful Bouquet (structural engineer), TERRA Engineering (civil engineer), dbHMS (MEP engineer), Turner and Clayco (contractors).
