Long known for being a center of innovative architecture, the Illinois Institute of Technology will be adding one more jewel to its crown of priceless buildings starting with today’s groundbreaking on the new Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship. The facility, designed by Chicago’s John Ronan Architects, comes at the heels of an $11 million gift from IIT alum and entrepreneur Ed Kaplan. According to IIT, the new institute will "focus on innovative thinking and transitioning new ideas into products and processes," and will feature media labs and maker spaces.
The Ronan-designed facility will join a campus which was drawn out by the master modernist Mies van der Rohe. And in addition to drafting the master plan for IIT’s campus, Mies delivered over a dozen of his blocky minimalist buildings to the campus. Ronan has previously claimed IIT to be "the first modernist campus" and now one of his buildings will stand next to those designed by Mies van der Rohe, Helmut Jahn, Rem Koolhaas, and others.
IIT will be live-streaming the groundbreaking event starting at noon.
- Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship [IIT]
- IIT Innovation Institute [John Ronan Architects]
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