Transforming Campus and Learning Environments

Three exciting capital projects in the Fueling Innovation campaign will redefine Main Campus and transform  the educational experiences of the next generation of IIT innovators.

Revitalizing Core Campus Buildings

Engineering 1 Building to become the John T. Rettaliata Engineering Center

Labs and classrooms in the northwest side of the building are complete, and students and faculty are already using these newly renovated spaces. Work on an open, airy, light-filled atrium has commenced. The atrium will provide much-needed shared space for students and faculty to collaborate. Renovations have also addressed critical structural issues including repainting of the exterior.


Life Sciences Building to be renamed Robert A. Pritzker Research Center

Skylight in E1
One of three brand-new skylights toward the north end of E1, which will fill the atrium space below with light

Work has commenced to add an exterior plaza on the west side and a corresponding interior lobby. 
The plaza-style entrance will shift the main entrance and lobby back to where it was originally, decades ago, better connecting the Pritzker Center’s entryway to the main thoroughfare of campus, where student traffic flow and visibility is greater. Future phases will address the interior of the building to include flexible classrooms and collaboration spaces that incorporate updated technologies, lecture halls, and more.


Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship

West plaza rendering for the Life Sciences Building
West plaza rendering for the Life Sciences Building (Courtesy of LCM Architects)

This new, central hub for innovation and collaboration will be located in Morton Park along Footlik Lane-IIT’s main pedestrian pathway. This high-traffic, high-visibility locale capitalizes on assembly, exhibition, and event spaces in Hermann Hall, and is conveniently located near Engineering 1 and the Life Sciences Building. 
Architect John Ronan and his team are finalizing an exciting design that incorporates a number of sustainable concepts for this project.


Campaign Progress 
Through December 31, 2014
$184,119,620 Raised

  • 15 Endowed Chairs
  • Capital Projects:
    • 
Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship: $24.2 million (includes $10 million challenge gift from the Kaplans)
    • 
Robert A. Pritzker Research Center: more than $5 million
    • 
John T. Rettaliata Engineering Center: more than $10 million
  • More than $32 million raised for scholarships
  • Six families have made gifts of $10 million or more

Visit web.iit.edu/fuelinginnovation to learn more about these projects and how the campaign is changing IIT. Be sure to check out the many innovative alumni, students, and faculty featured on the site.