Designed by John Ronan Architects, IIT’s Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship is the first academic building to be constructed at IIT in over 40 years. The new building features a “light, cloud-like appearance” and is the capstone project for the university’s ‘Fueling Innovation’ campaign. In addition to classrooms and lab spaces, the approximately 100,000 sf ground-up project also includes thousands of square feet of interactive and flexible ‘maker space’ to encourage collaboration between faculty, students, and staff.

Featuring a sustainable design and advanced building materials, the Institute was designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. It acts as a hybrid between an academic building and a student center, promoting student-faculty interaction in a flexible space.

As the project management advisor, Cotter provided advisory services from design through construction and occupancy.

Photo Credits: Steve Hall, Hall-Merrick