The University of Illinois’ new College of Business (Business Instructional Facility – BIF) was among the first certified LEED Platinum facilities at a public university in the U.S. The facility’s high-performance building design reduces energy consumption by 48% compared to ASHRAE 90.1-2004, saving the University more than $300,000 per year in utility costs. The building exceeded the University’s project goal, and now campus standard of LEED Gold, and became the first LEED Platinum building on campus. 

Completed in May 2008, the 152,000-sf new facility accommodates eight high-tech classrooms, career development and academic counseling centers, student program offices, a commons area with café, a recruitment suite with executive meeting rooms, dining room and catering kitchen, 20 interviewing rooms, a 300-seat auditorium, a laboratory that simulates real-time market trading, and space for students to meet and study. Designed by world-renowned architect, Cesar Pelli, the U-shaped structure offers a bright, airy commons area and a spacious, south-facing courtyard. The “heart” of the building is an expansive atrium area that provides space for students to study and interact with each other, as well as host alumni and student events and corporate receptions. 

To achieve the university’s sustainability goal, extensive collaboration among the design team occurred early in Concept Planning Phase, resulting in vast computer modeling and life-cycle cost analysis of the building’s orientation, layout, building envelope, and infrastructure systems to optimize the building’s performance. Low maintenance and low operating costs, as well as flexibility and maintainability, were considered in all designs.