Language Center Features First Geothermal Heat System for University

The 18,000-square-foot center features a new transparent envelope consisting of low-E glass windows. Photo by James Steinkamp, Steinkamp Photography

CHICAGO — The new Sandi Point Errant Language and Culture Center at the University of Chicago at Chicago was completed this fall and marks the first in a series of environmentally friendly improvement projects planned for the campus.

The 18,000-square-foot center is the prototype for nine new construction and renovation projects and will include the first geothermal heating system on the campus.

Designed by Smith Group, of Chicago, the center is located in Grant Hall, an existing 1960s-era classroom building that required significant structural and interior upgrades to be converted into a modern language facility.

“The university challenged us to design a prototype classroom building that would help transform the 1960s campus into the 21 st century, while maintaining its mid-century modern aesthetic,” says Louis Raia, design principal with SmithGroup.

To streamline the building’s look, architects removed and replaced the three-story hall’s exterior wall system. Formerly clad in precast concrete panels with limited window placement, the hall now features a façade of floor-to-ceiling windows that offer students views of the campus and the downtown Chicago skyline.

In addition to providing visual access to the outdoors, the transparent façade also improves the building’s energy efficiency. The window system’s low E-glass allows for natural daylighting, reducing energy costs. Adjustable fabric mesh shading helps filter and control incoming daylight to prevent solar glare.

The renovation, completed by Joseph Construction Company, of Lynwood, also provided interior upgrades, such as mechanical, electrical and plumbing improvements.

A new geothermal heat pump system will provide energy-efficient heating and cooling inside the building. The heat pump system will utilize the relatively constant temperature beneath the Earth’s surface to transfer heat in or out of the building using a system of pipes and a carrier fluid that circulates throughout the facility.

Named for the late Sandi Port Errant, a local philanthropist and community leader, the project was funded in part by private donations and a grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, which helped defray the cost of the geothermal system.