Boasting the world's largest collection of buildings designed by the legendary architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (19), Illinois Tech's beautiful Mies Campus is on the National Register of Historic Places and lauded for its Modernist aesthetic.
Several buildings on Mies Campus are among the country's most significant works of architecture. Three of them—S. R. Crown Hall, the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship, and The McCormick Tribune Campus Center—were named to ArchDaily's list of "23 Buildings You Shouldn't Miss in Chicago."
S. R. Crown Hall: Widely considered Mies' masterpiece, Crown Hall is a National Historic Landmark. Its innovation is reflected in its clear-span design, with no internal support beams. Crown Hall is home of the College of Architecture, where students learn to create their own designs inside this Modernist "one-room schoolhouse."
The McCormick Tribune Campus Center: It's hard to miss the large Exelon Tube above the MTCC, carrying "L" riders to and from downtown Chicago. The award-winning student center, designed by internationally recognized architect and designer Rem Koolhaas, the student-run WIIT-FM radio station, dining options, student group offices, post office, and more services.
Jeanne and John Rowe Village: Recognized as "one of the coolest dorms in the nation" by U.S. News & World Report, Jeanne and John Rowe Village offers million-dollar views of Chicago's skyline from its rooftop deck. Designed by the influential architect Helmut Jahn, Jeanne and John Rowe Village offers suite-style living and in a modern setting.
Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship: Opened in 2018, this innovation hub on campus was designed by John Ronan, an Illinois Tech architecture professor and globally renowned architect. The LEED Gold-designated building is enclosed in a dynamic façade of ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) foil cushions, the first use of its kind in Chicago, which vary the amount of solar energy entering the building through sophisticated pneumatics.
George J. Kacek Hall: Designed by Mies, this Modernist residential tower is currently under renovation for renewed occupancy beginning in fall 2020. Under the leadership of Dirk Denison, a renowned architect and Illinois Tech professor, the renovation will result in residential floors that have a "pod-style" configuration, and central study and social lounge areas.
University Technology Park: Located at the south end of Mies Campus, UTP is composed of a collection of renovated Mies-designed buildings that now house Chicago's premier technology park. UTP includes a business incubator, and some students work for the companies based at UTP.
Learn more about Illinois Tech's Mies Campus and its noteworthy architecture.
