Skender, serving as base building and interior construction manager, has completed the construction of Loyola University Chicago’s new 10,000-square-foot engineering science flex laboratory, located near the intersection of North Broadway and Sheridan Road. The mission of the new single-story building is to provide an open and collaborative environment for the university’s engineering science program and its active learning framework.
This experimentation hub not only provides engineering and other STEM students with opportunities to invent, investigate and create, but also allows the public to observe and join the community through the front of the building’s large glass façade. Designed to put engineering on display and provide natural light, the glass façade utilizes electrochromic technology, a form of smart glass that uses daylight sensors to make the glazing less transparent as the sun sets, reducing solar heat gain and glare.
The maker-space was designed to achieve LEED Silver status at a minimum. Using technology to reduce energy use, this green initiative reduces the amount of air condition and lighting, which are the two biggest uses of energy. Movable furniture and equipment also make the space to be more nimble, allowing it to be reconfigured as needed. Sound-absorbing walls and adaptable power outlets along the floor help with the flexible collaborative needs of students and faculty.
Skender collaborated with SmithGroup, Elara Engineering and Thornton Tomasetti to successfully complete this unprecedented, tech-forward facility for Loyola.
