This 19,000 SF renovation aims to provide a Student Center for the School of the Art Institute’s diverse student body. Looking to give a ‘home base’ for students, faculty and staff, the Center combines spaces for meeting, studying, lounging and dining while offering a sense of identity to the student body, which is currently segregated among several facilities in Chicago’s Loop. The Leroy Neiman Student Center, and its small art gallery, is fully equipped with high-end technology, presenting endless opportunity for student interaction and presentation. The Legacy classrooms created four new learning spaces to support continued campus growth. Private graduate studios were also housed in the new construction. The new wing boasts exposed concrete floors and structure, generous ceiling heights and an eye-level view of the Chicago El tracks with very little of the noise.

Photography © Barbara Karant, Karant+Associates/Matthew Dula Photography