Monday, November 12, 2018

UIS Student Union wins design award

The University of Illinois Springfield's new Student Union building was awarded an excellence in design award by the American Institute of Architects earlier this month.

The two story, 52,028-square-foot building, designed by Milwaukee-based Workshop Architects and Peoria-based Dewberry, was lauded by AIA judges for its “striking, inviting sculptural form” as well as for what it represents: “a central place for what’s otherwise a commuter campus.”

“The project offers a modern, fresh and spacious interactive space,” AIA judges wrote. “The proposed program with flexible work spaces and overlapped activities seems very appropriate as a social catalyst for students on campus.”

In a short period of time, the building has become a one-stop shop for the UIS community, housing campus dining services, a Starbucks coffee shop, a ballroom with seating for up to 450 people and a Student Leadership Center that houses student government, volunteer offices and workspaces for student organizations.

The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce will host its 2018 Economic Outlook Breakfast at the UIS Student Union on Tuesday morning. The keynote speaker will be economist James Glassman, a former Bush administration official who’s now a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the head economist of commercial banking for JP Morgan Chase.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 10, 2018.

Read the entire article online.