The physical heart of the campus – a large rectangle between State and Wabash, 32 nd and 33 rd streets, is our project.

By not stacking activities, but by positioning each programmatic particle as a part of a dense mosaic, our building contains the urban condition itself. To capture the sum of the individual movements between east-side and west-side, the web of straight lines that connects all the destinations on campus, cuts through the center to organize the multiplicity of activities into “streets”, plaza and urban islands. Without fragmenting the building itself, each of the constituent parts can be articulated according to specific needs, positioned to respond precisely to contextual influence, placed for maximum exposure and impact, creating neighbourhoods – 24hr, commercial, entertainment, academic, utilitarian – parks and other urban elements in miniature.

The autonomy of each program can be respected (even exacerbated): the short-cuts guarantee their interface and coexistence.¹

The newest addition to the IIT campus is a architectural gem. For architecture students and professionals alike, it is a playground filled with surprises. From its integration with the elevated rail line, the restauration of the Commons Building, the exposure of the gypsum boards and the litteral links to the surrounding buidings, just to name a few, the McCormick Center has seemingly achieved the difficult of acknowledging the surroundings while prominently establishing itself on campus.

While the series of corridors might be confusing for teh wadering visitor, the organisation of the circulation if actually quite straightforward. Simply acting as shortcuts for users crossing the campus, the corridors do their job well, with straight-line trajectories. All uses are organized around them leading to a stimulating environment.

I found the choice of materials and the attention to detail particularly interesting. From the honeycomb walls and tables to the carefully jointed green gypsum panels, the entire building was painstakingly thought out. The stainless steel sheating of the train tube portrudes down the ceiling serves, along with the occasional muffled rumbling noise, as a subtle reminder of the coexistence with the rail line.

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1 GA Document 76: "OMA - McCormick Tribune Campus Center", p.14