The design for The 78 University of Illinois new headquarters has been unveiled. The design was revealed by Governor Pritzker and the University of Illinois System’s Discovery Partners Institute (DPI). The 78 is a vibrant new innovation district along the Chicago River. It was created by the government in order to boost the innovation sector.
The new DPI headquarters will offer more than 200,000 square feet of office, classroom, lab, and event space for DPI and its university and business partners. It is situated on a one-acre property southwest of the Loop. For the purpose of launching DPI and establishing regional hubs for the Illinois Innovation Network at colleges around the state, the State of Illinois has committed $500 million in capital investment. The University of Illinois System includes DPI.
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Expectations for the new DPI headquarters
The project is anticipated to start construction in 2024, making it the first structure to do so in The 78 Innovation District. The building will usher in a redevelopment that will link Chinatown and the South Loop, bridging a 62-acre gap that has long existed between them.
The eight-story structure, which is a tiered dome of glass and steel, is intended to forge close relationships with the thriving neighborhoods on all four sides, the nearby riverside, and the upcoming phases of the bigger Innovation District at The 78. The base will be filled with public spaces including a café, an auditorium, and multipurpose exhibition spaces/classrooms.
The primary entrance to the structure will be at 15th Street and Wells-Wentworth, and a Richard Hunt sculpture will serve as the landscape’s focal point.
The 78 University of Illinois new headquarters project team
The design is being led by OMA and Jacobs, both of which include Shohei Shigematsu as a partner. Construction and design are supervised by the Illinois Capital Development Board.
The 62-acre tract will continue to be developed by Related Midwest, the company that created The 78, which also donated the land for DPI.
