Boomtown: Siebel Center for Design
It took a little extra time, but the doors finally swung wide into the long-awaited Siebel Center for Design (SCD) in August 2021, ushering in a new and expansive era of innovation and collaboration on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. The building, made possible by a $25 million gift from the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation, was designed by renowned architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Its construction on South 4th Street spanned just over two years.
SCD's mission is to practice, model, and teach design thinking, using human-centered design and design thinking to reimagine our campus, community, and world. It is one of the very first truly from-the-ground up multidisciplinary design centers in the US.
SCD is passionate about ensuring every student on campus takes advantage of its myriad course offerings (over 20 courses from instructors across campus are being taught in the building this fall), as well as its collaboration and gathering spaces, prototyping equipment, and other opportunities.
“We are absolutely committed to reaching all students, in every major and discipline, at this university.”
Rachel Switzky
Director, Siebel Center for Design
The building’s spacious, wide-open interior, which plays beautifully with the exterior landscape thanks to its many floor-to-ceiling windows, is an attractive destination for students, faculty, and staff, creating optimum conditions for multidisciplinary collaboration.
Siebel Center for Design's grand opening is scheduled for October 8, 2021.