International Living Future Institute
Seattle, WA
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University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy - Keller Center
Chicago, IL
The Keller Center revived and re-imagined a mid-century masterpiece by Edward Durell Stone. The building is prominently located on the Midway Plaisance at the University of Chicago’s South Campus. The building is an example of the New Formalism architectural style, developed from the Internati… Read More
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The story of the Keller Center begins with a 55-year-old enduring piece of architecture. Its façade weathered, the infrastructure was at the end of useful life, but it had sturdy foundations with good structural bones. The University of Chicago saw the value of this historic building and paired the … Read More
At the heart of the Keller Center is a sun-streaked 4-story atrium that was carved into the building to connect all levels and provide Harris with a venue for public policy and social impact.
Photo Courtesy of Farr Associates
The forward-thinking design of the restrooms allows the newly finished spaces to remain unchanged when the building codes and state laws finally adopt a socially responsible solution. An attempt to change gender restroom policy during the design phase resulted in a solution that can adapt in the fut… Read More
ILFI's materials petal seeks to eliminate the use of worst in-class materials and chemicals with the greatest impact to human and ecosystem health. In a move that is working to transform the industry one product and manufacturer at a time, a Grace fireproofing product was vetted for the Keller Cente… Read More
The Keller Center is an adaptive reuse of 60-year-old structural concrete beams, columns, floors, exterior limestone facade, and existing windows. In running initial carbon calculations, ILFI found that reusing the existing structure is a huge offset compared to an entirely new construction. This wa… Read More
The original building was designed like a temple to rest on a 5-foot-tall plinth encircling the building that was not accessible or inviting. The massive plinth was deconstructed by the design team with new entries to align visitors with the perspective of a marching colonnade and floating canopy. L… Read More
An estimated 900 million bird deaths are caused by striking glass. All new windows on the perimeter of the Keller Center have a unique pattern visible on the exterior when examined closely which mimics the pattern of a spiderweb. This texture is an ultraviolet reflective coating that is highly illum… Read More
The roof of the Keller Center collects rainwater and stores it in a 15,000-gallon cistern tank. Rainwater is filtered, and pumped throughout the building for reuse in toilets and landscaping reducing demand on Chicago’s overburdened storm system.
The clean energy-producing Photovoltaic roof syste… Read More
