News & Insights

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

What does a campus do when its iconic buildings no longer meet the needs of modern student life, but are far too important to tear down?

That was the challenge facing The Illinois Institute of Technology, home to a suite of buildings designed by legendary architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. As student preferences and expectations evolved, two of the school’s historic residence halls, once cutting-edge expressions of International Style modernism, sat vacant for nearly a decade.

“Everyone knew these buildings were too important to demo,” said B&D Vice President Ryan Jensen. “Illinois Tech needed to revitalize them and reincorporate them into the campus culture in a way that aligned with the institutional goals of the university.”

Mies, a German-born architect and one of the foremost figures of modern architecture, designed the Illinois Tech campus with minimalist, cubic structures that could adapt over time. And while the buildings’ exteriors remained timeless, the interiors had fallen far out of step with what students today expect from campus housing.

“These buildings were empty for nearly a decade, so the school’s biggest priority was creating a safe, modern, and welcoming environment for students,” Jensen said.

Working closely with Illinois Tech, B&D served as development advisors on the transformation. The residence halls were reimagined as contemporary freshman dorms—retaining the clean, elegant lines of Mies’s vision while delivering updated amenities and functionality for today’s students.

“When you’re working with a culturally significant building, you have to understand why it’s important and preserve those key components,” Jensen said. “Illinois Tech held to Mies van der Rohe’s vision for the campus while updating it to meet modern student demands. That’s why this project was so successful.”

Today, the renovated residence halls stand as essential—and vibrant—cornerstones of campus life once again.