Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
The Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, ranking among the top ten business schools in the country, has a new 415,000-square-foot home. The five-story, $250 million building accommodates 2,000 students formerly housed in the Jacobs Center.
The striking building set on a lakefill is outfitted with classrooms, flexible learning environments, offices, food service areas, underground parking, pedestrian walkways, heated pavement, and a two-story atrium. Raised outdoor plazas positioned along the south and east sides of the school offer areas to study and take in views of Lake Michigan and the City of Chicago.
The project was constructed on an existing parking lot containing storage chambers that provided stormwater detention for the lot and nearby areas. Instead of replacing and adding additional detention for the proposed improvements, civil engineers from Eriksson Engineering Associates, Ltd. (EEA) met with the City of Evanston to devise a water quality plan. This plan was based on EEA’s strategic analysis that the stormwater from the area would discharge directly into Lake Michigan and not into city sewers. This approach saved the university more than $1 million in potential stormwater detention costs.
EEA contributed to the project team’s pursuit of LEED platinum status by recommending the installation of permeable pavers in the front drop-off oval, bedding stone to enhance water quality, and extensive landscaping.