Loyola Water Tower Campus Planning
The Water Tower Campus of Loyola University Chicago is located adjacent to the North Michigan Avenue shopping district in the heart of a high-density residential zone. SCB was engaged by the University to create a master plan for underutilized University-owned parcels and their existing academic and administrative buildings.
The goal was to strengthen the University’s visibility and identify redevelopment opportunities for new academic and student life facilities as part of a market-rate, long-term, strategic expansion program.
The master plan and guidelines identified development sites that included obsolete academic buildings zoned by the City for high-rise development. SCB prepared development scenarios that were used to solicit proposals from private developers, resulting in a high-rise, market-rate, senior housing development that combined University functions on the lower levels. Additional completed projects that were programmed and designed by SCB include a 25-story, University-led, mixed-use student center and student residential tower, and a new business school.
Services included existing building utilization assessment; renovation conceptual costing and scheduling; streetscape, building envelope, and use guidelines; phasing strategies for future buildings and infrastructure; preparation of development strategies for private developer RFP; programming for a new student life facility; programming for a new business school; and community facilitation.
