Craving a glimpse into the future of engineering? The UIC Chemical Engineering Building stands before us. It is more than just a building. It is a hub of innovation. This facility at 810 S. Clinton Street is home to the chemical engineering department at UIC. It also houses other engineering disciplines.
Opened in 2019, the Engineering Innovation Building is designed to foster collaboration. It is a place where students and faculty can work together. Prior to its construction, the departments of chemical engineering, mechanical and industrial engineering, and civil and materials engineering were spread across different locations. The UIC Chemical Engineering Building brought them together. This centralization promotes innovation.
The UIC Chemical Engineering Building offers extensive laboratory space. It provides faculty and staff offices. There are also social spaces. Students can study and relax here. The building’s design encourages interaction. This interaction is crucial for groundbreaking research.
One unique classroom lets students observe chemical engineering concepts in action. It is next to a unit-operations lab. Here, they see firsthand what chemical engineering entails. The building also supports research at the molecular and nanoscale levels. Researchers can develop new energy systems. They can also study complex fluid phenomena.
The UIC Chemical Engineering Building houses the Chicago area’s only high-bay structural testing lab. Engineers can test large and heavy infrastructural components. They can determine how they behave under various conditions. The lab has a 45-foot-high ceiling. It provides faculty-developed damage-detection sensors. These sensors generate big data on structural degradation. They also offer real-time 3D immersive visualization.
The building is a hub for cutting-edge research. Chemical engineers here lead projects. These projects include developing artificial leaves. These leaves take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They make synthetic gas. Other projects involve microbial fuel cells. There is also cancer detection technology that uses microfluidics devices.
The UIC Chemical Engineering Building is part of UIC’s investment in its engineering programs. Enrollment at the College of Engineering has nearly doubled in the last 10 years. The new facility helps accommodate the growing student body.
IMEG provided mechanical engineering design for the building. The design is predicted to perform 28 percent better than the ASHRAE 90.1 baseline.
The UIC Chemical Engineering Building is a LEED Gold certified facility. It exemplifies sustainable design practices. It is the first new building on UIC’s east campus in over 25 years. It serves as a tool to attract more engineering students to the university. This building is not just a structure. It’s a testament to UIC’s commitment to innovation and collaboration in engineering.