Students, faculty and the public recently celebrated the successful makeover of Lincoln Hall, a venerable classroom building on the University of Illinois at Chicago campus. with a gran opening and self-guided building tours. UIC Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares and Provost R. Michael Tanner were present to unveil this 1960s-era Walter Netsch structure that has been transformed from its original raw-concrete Brutalist style into a functioning, contemporary “green” building, complete with energy-efficient glass walls, geothermal climate controls and other eco-friendly improvements. The two-year, $13.7-million renovation was completed on budget, and opened in time for the start of UIC’s 2009-10 academic year in August.
Lincoln Hall is linked to two sibling structures, Douglas and Grant halls. Grant was the first to undergo modernization two years ago and is home to the Sandi Port Errant Language and Culture Learning Center and the UIC Writing Center. Renovation on Douglas Hall is expected to begin next May.
Heating and cooling costs for the renovated buildings are reduced by the use of geothermal wells that act as heat pumps. The only energy needed is electricity to drive the pumps, and electrical costs are expected to be reduced after solar panels are installed on Lincoln’s roof.
Other features of the renovated Lincoln Hall include automated shading control, daylight harvesting, and use of natural building materials. The building’s 25 common-use classrooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, new acoustic treatments for better sound, ergonomic and movable furniture, and informal student learning spaces, called oases.
UIC is applying to the U.S. Green Building Council to award Lincoln Hall “silver” status as a registered Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, building — the first on UIC’s campus. The renovation was designed to meet LEED standards.
The project was funded largely through undergraduate student fees known as the Academic Facilities Maintenance Fund Assessment. Other funding came from the Office of Campus Learning Environments and general campus funds.
Renovation and construction of so-called “green buildings” is one component of a larger plan drafted by the campus’s Office of Sustainability to reduce UIC’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 2004 levels by mid-century. The plan also calls for using more clean and renewable energy sources, transitioning to cleaner vehicles by adding hybrid and flex-fuel cars and trucks to the university’s fleet, encouraging employees to walk, bicycle, use public transit or carpool to work, and increasing recycling and waste-reduction.
For more information about UIC, visit www.uic.edu
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