Green Building News: New Structures at U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Worcester Polytechnic Institute

A building designed by Cesar Pelli is the first green structure at the U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (U. of Illinois photograph)

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has built its first green building, a $60-million College of Business facility designed by Cesar Pelli. Solar panels, a green roof, natural ventilation, and other features may help the 160,000-square-foot building save $300,000 a year in energy costs and earn a gold or platinum rating in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The building is also wired for the 21st century, with cameras that can record lectures so students can review material or see classes they missed. The building will open next week.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute will also open a green building next week — in this case, a residence hall. The building, which officials expect to be certified at the gold level, is WPI’s second green building, featuring the city of Worcester’s first green roof. The building’s four-person apartments will feature full kitchens, living rooms, and bathrooms, and the building will include music, recreation, and fitness facilities. The architect on the project was Cannon Design.