East-West University Student Life Center

The Student Life Center at East-West University is a vivid example of the way in which small colleges and universities are asserting themselves through design. Completed in 2014, this hybrid dorm, student center, and academic hall was designed by storied Chicago architecture firm Holabird & Root. In response to its narrow urban site in the South Loop the architects translated the traditional university experience into a 17-story tower with a 100-foot-tall "vertical quad" at its center. The tower's base collects the educational, fitness and social spaces while the upper floors are apartment-style dorm suites with clear views of the lake and city.