New BuildSiebel Center for Design at Illinois
The innovative 60,000 GSF design center facility has transformed campus with a facility dedicated to design thinking. The design center will convene people and immerse them in meaningful challenges for which they design solutions.
The Siebel Center for Design (SCD) was conceived of to help facilitate and support innovative approaches to product, process, and design and will emphasize advanced technology and creativity for all students across campus. The building’s grand opening and dedication took place October 8, 2021.
In September 2019, construction on the new Siebel Center for Design (SCD) reached a milestone when the Ironworkers Local Union 380 fixed the final steel beam to the skeletal structure in a process known as “topping-out.” The beam was one of the 410 tons of steel, 6,900,00 pounds of concrete, and 1,140,000 pounds of structural walls composed of concrete masonry units that hold the center together.
The topping-out ceremony included a congratulatory address from Rashid Bashir, the dean of The Grainger College of Engineering and SCD Director Rachel Switzky, food, and giveaways for attendees. Members of the Local 380, staff from the Siebel Center for Design, and F&S project manager Kevin Price signed the beam before it was set into place.
“Something that I learned from this is that every time that there is a steel topper on a new construction building, ironworkers and steelworkers put a tree on top of that beam to represent growth, newness, and opportunity. I think that completely speaks for what we are doing here at Siebel Center.” said Rachel Dietkus, associate director of programs for SCD.
About SCD
SCD’s mission and main idea include practicing, modeling, and teaching design thinking in its new space; using human-centered design to work with collaborators to reimagine the University of Illinois campus, community, and collective world. The goal is to open SCD’s doors to faculty, staff, and students in every discipline.
This new building has few boundaries, both literally and figuratively. Rooms and spaces can be oriented and arranged differently to account for different needs; similarly, the purpose of the building is to spur interdisciplinary collaborations among any and all students and faculty.
Tree History
Outside the entrance to SCD are Austrian pines with quite a history; to read about it, visit F&S INISDER here: https://fs.web.illinois.edu/Insider/2022/03/18/rooted-in-campus-history-century-old-trees-near-siebel-center-preserved/.