Further Details And Timeline Revealed For University Of Chicago’s New Engineering And Science Building

Updated details and a construction timeline have been revealed for the new Engineering and Science building for the University of Chicago at 5620 S Ellis Avenue in Hyde Park. Located on the corner with E 56th Street, the project sits just east of the university’s new cancer center and has been in the works for a few years.

Site context for new Science and Engineering building by HDR and Allison Grace Williams

Site context for new Science and Engineering building by HDR and Allison Grace Williams

Designed by local architecture firm HDR and Allison Grace Williams, the 10-story building will be replacing the existing historic Accelerator and High Energy buildings. Both of those buildings have been vacated of programs already, but date back to the 1950s and even housed one the first lab for Enrico Fermi, known as one of the architects of the nuclear age.

Massing of new Science and Engineering building by HDR and Allison Grace Williams

Rendering of new Science and Engineering building by HDR and Allison Grace Williams

While the building will rise roughly 181 feet above grade, it will sit above two floors of underground lab space to be used for research. The ground floor above will hold a large entry surrounded by updated outdoor spaces, joined by a seminar room and additional lab space.

Elevation of new Science and Engineering building by HDR and Allison Grace Williams

Rendering of new Science and Engineering building by HDR and Allison Grace Williams

The next two floors will have an L-shape that extends over the ground-floor entry and extends south to connect to the existing William Eckhardt Research Center. Within those will be teaching labs, offices, and collaboration rooms. The building then sets back into the lab tower on the north end of the site, which will hold research labs, offices, and more collaborative rooms.

Floor plans of new Science and Engineering building by HDR and Allison Grace Williams

The lower levels will be clad in a flat curtain wall with superimposed exterior columns. The lab tower will sit above and partially cantilever over the street, wrapped in an undulating glass facade similar to the famed Laid Bell Law Quadrangle. A majority of the glass will be fritted for bird safety, with the solid elements being clad in cement panels and architectural metal.

Rendering of new Science and Engineering building by HDR and Allison Grace Williams

These updated plans were submitted to the Plan Commission as a courtesy presentation, gaining site plan approval as part of the original Planned Development approved in 1966. The building will cost over $170 million and house the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, as well as partner with the University of Illinois to house the new Chicago Quantum Exchange.

With all of the approvals and funding in hand, the university plans to break ground this summer and be completed in the fall of 2028, with Mortenson Construction serving as the contractor.

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