Building Performance - School of Architecture
Source: https://arch.illinois.edu/programs-applying/program-areas/building-performance
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:27
Building Performance - School of Architecture
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Building Performance
Faculty and students in the Building Performance Program Area address aspects of overall performance through the integrated design of structural, environmental, enclosure, and related systems.
Muqarnas Tower, designed by alum James Pawlikowski of SOM (L) and building envelope design detail by a recent student (R)
Building Performance
Our work is grounded in a historical knowledge base of best practices while also promoting experimentation and innovation, focusing on sustainability, environmentally responsible use of energy and materials, human comfort, and constructability. Building Performance Program faculty offer core courses and studios in subjects such as structures, environmental systems, and comprehensive design, as well as specialized elective courses in energy modeling and simulation, building-envelope design, daylighting, advanced structural design and analysis, and integrated design processes. These courses give students a strong foundation and expertise in the various principles and technologies that contribute to the design of high-performance buildings.
Concentration in Building Performance
More details about the program are found here. Please see your advisor with any questions.
Click here
Design of Tall Buildings
Faculty and students in the Building Performance Program Area can choose the Design of Tall Buildings Concentration to develop broad knowledge of the integrated nature of design and construction of tall buildings, and the state-of-the-art materials and methods needed to build them.
Click here
Program Area Chair
Sudarshan Krishnan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair, Building Performance & Tall Buildings Program Chair
Affiliate faculty, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Computational Science & Engineering
skrishnn@illinois.edu
Core faculty
Core Faculty
Abbas Aminmansour
Associate Professor
Fellow of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
aamin@illinois.edu
(217) 333-2834
Core faculty
Mohamed Boubekri
Professor
boubekri@illinois.edu
(217) 333-2848
Core faculty
Randy Deutsch
Clinical Associate Professor
rdeutsch@illinois.edu
(847) 533-0338
Specialized faculty
Scott Murray
Associate Professor
scmurray@illinois.edu
Core faculty
Rick Strand
Associate Professor
rkstrand@illinois.edu
(217) 333-5570
Core faculty
Marci Uihlein
Associate Professor
Associate Director for Research
muihlein@illinois.edu
(217) 244-6284
Core faculty
Yun Kyu Yi
Associate Professor
ykyi@illinois.edu
(217) 300-4886
Core faculty
April 10, 2026 Symposium: Sustainable Vertical Urbanism
April 10, 2026 Symposium: Sustainable Vertical Urbanism
This symposium features
presentations
and a panel discussion
by our
world-class speakers on how tall buildings impact sustainability of our cities.
Title:
Sustainable Vertical Urbanism
Date and time:
Friday April 10th, 2026, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM Chicago time
Join live Zoom streaming:
Advance FREE registration is required
In-person location:
Room 2 Education Building, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Attendees will receive certificate of attendance for continuing education credit with AIA and other organizations
Program:
Presentations by speakers followed by a panel discussion
Speakers:
James Parakh
, FCVU (formerly CTBUH), Director (Acting) Urban Design, City of Toronto Planning Department
Tall Building Urbanism with a focus on Toronto
Luke Leung
, PE, ASHRAE Fellow, LEED Fellow (BD+C), BEMP, P Eng,
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Reaching for New Heights: Three Forces. Thirty Years. Your Career, Reimagined – It will explore how carbon, human wellness, and terrestrial health, will force us to reimagine our design tall careers in the next 30 years.
Gordon Gill
, FAIA, Founding Partner,
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill
Measure UP – the discussion will include the various ways one can measure the Sustainable impact of Supertall and towers on our communities including physical, social, economic, energy and carbon futures.
Symposium poster
, click
here
April 10, 2026 Symposium: Sustainable Vertical Urbanism
April 19, 2024 Symposium: Smart Tall Buildings
The theme of this year’s Symposium is “Smart Tall Buildings”, focusing on how engineering, data collection, and AI / machine learning can help make our tall buildings more efficient and more reliable, while reducing operating costs and improving the human experience. We have a slate of presenters from the engineering, data, and client side to discuss this emerging and important topic within our profession.
Title:
Smart Tall Buildings
Date and time:
Friday April 19th, 2024, from 8:30 AM to 12:00 noon
Zoom streaming:
Advance FREE registration is required
In-person location:
101
Armory Building
, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Symposium has been submitted for submitted for
AIA CES
approval
Program:
Presentations by speakers followed by a panel discussion
Speakers:
Mehdi Jalayerian
, PE, Senior Principal, MEP Technical Lead,
Stantec
Thru Shivakumar
, CEO and Co-Founder of
Cohesion
Chris Payne
, Executive Vice President,
Riverside Investment and Development
Craig L. Hall
, United States Business Development Manager,
Abb Smart Buildings Solutions
Moderator:
Javier Quintana de Uña
, CEO,
Council on Vertical Urbanism
(formerly CTBUH)
Symposium poster
, click
here
April 14, 2023 Symposium: Advances and Innovations in Design of Tall Buildings
April 14, 2023 Symposium: Advances and Innovations in Design of Tall Buildings
A symposium on state-of-the-art integrated architectural and engineering design as well as construction of tall buildings.
Title: Advances and Innovations in Design of Tall Buildings
Date and time: Friday April 14th, 2023, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM
Zoom streaming:
Advance FREE registration is required
In-person location: Room 2 Education Building, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Symposium has been submitted for submitted for
AIA CES
approval
Speakers:
Ann Thompson, AIA, Executive Vice President, Related Midwest
Dennis C.K. Poon, PE, Managing Principal, Thornton Tomasetti, Inc.
James Pawlikowski, SE, LEED AP, Clinical Professor and Kerbis Fellow, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Principal, Datum Engineers
Jordan Komp, PE, SE, Associate Principal and Milwaukee Office Director, Thornton Tomasetti
Matt Streid, PE, SE, Principal, Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Click to watch the video of the entire sympsoium
Video of the symposium
April 8, 2022 Symposium: State of the Art in Design of Tall Buildings
Hear the latest in design of tall buildings from the experts who designed some of the most monumental tall buildings in the world.
Watch the Symposium Video
April 2, 2021 Symposium: The Future of Architectural Technologies
Organized by the Building Performance Program at the Illinois School of Architecture, this symposium brings together a stellar group of guest speakers who are leaders in architecture, engineering, construction, and research.
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Skip over sidebar nav to the content section
Building Performance
Faculty and students in the Building Performance Program Area address aspects of overall performance through the integrated design of structural, environmental, enclosure, and related systems.
Muqarnas Tower, designed by alum James Pawlikowski of SOM (L) and building envelope design detail by a recent student (R)
Building Performance
Our work is grounded in a historical knowledge base of best practices while also promoting experimentation and innovation, focusing on sustainability, environmentally responsible use of energy and materials, human comfort, and constructability. Building Performance Program faculty offer core courses and studios in subjects such as structures, environmental systems, and comprehensive design, as well as specialized elective courses in energy modeling and simulation, building-envelope design, daylighting, advanced structural design and analysis, and integrated design processes. These courses give students a strong foundation and expertise in the various principles and technologies that contribute to the design of high-performance buildings.
Concentration in Building Performance
More details about the program are found here. Please see your advisor with any questions.
Click here
Design of Tall Buildings
Faculty and students in the Building Performance Program Area can choose the Design of Tall Buildings Concentration to develop broad knowledge of the integrated nature of design and construction of tall buildings, and the state-of-the-art materials and methods needed to build them.
Click here
Program Area Chair
Sudarshan Krishnan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair, Building Performance & Tall Buildings Program Chair
Affiliate faculty, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Computational Science & Engineering
skrishnn@illinois.edu
Core faculty
Core Faculty
Abbas Aminmansour
Associate Professor
Fellow of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
aamin@illinois.edu
(217) 333-2834
Core faculty
Mohamed Boubekri
Professor
boubekri@illinois.edu
(217) 333-2848
Core faculty
Randy Deutsch
Clinical Associate Professor
rdeutsch@illinois.edu
(847) 533-0338
Specialized faculty
Scott Murray
Associate Professor
scmurray@illinois.edu
Core faculty
Rick Strand
Associate Professor
rkstrand@illinois.edu
(217) 333-5570
Core faculty
Marci Uihlein
Associate Professor
Associate Director for Research
muihlein@illinois.edu
(217) 244-6284
Core faculty
Yun Kyu Yi
Associate Professor
ykyi@illinois.edu
(217) 300-4886
Core faculty
April 10, 2026 Symposium: Sustainable Vertical Urbanism
April 10, 2026 Symposium: Sustainable Vertical Urbanism
This symposium features
presentations
and a panel discussion
by our
world-class speakers on how tall buildings impact sustainability of our cities.
Title:
Sustainable Vertical Urbanism
Date and time:
Friday April 10th, 2026, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM Chicago time
Join live Zoom streaming:
Advance FREE registration is required
In-person location:
Room 2 Education Building, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Attendees will receive certificate of attendance for continuing education credit with AIA and other organizations
Program:
Presentations by speakers followed by a panel discussion
Speakers:
James Parakh
, FCVU (formerly CTBUH), Director (Acting) Urban Design, City of Toronto Planning Department
Tall Building Urbanism with a focus on Toronto
Luke Leung
, PE, ASHRAE Fellow, LEED Fellow (BD+C), BEMP, P Eng,
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Reaching for New Heights: Three Forces. Thirty Years. Your Career, Reimagined – It will explore how carbon, human wellness, and terrestrial health, will force us to reimagine our design tall careers in the next 30 years.
Gordon Gill
, FAIA, Founding Partner,
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill
Measure UP – the discussion will include the various ways one can measure the Sustainable impact of Supertall and towers on our communities including physical, social, economic, energy and carbon futures.
Symposium poster
, click
here
April 10, 2026 Symposium: Sustainable Vertical Urbanism
April 19, 2024 Symposium: Smart Tall Buildings
The theme of this year’s Symposium is “Smart Tall Buildings”, focusing on how engineering, data collection, and AI / machine learning can help make our tall buildings more efficient and more reliable, while reducing operating costs and improving the human experience. We have a slate of presenters from the engineering, data, and client side to discuss this emerging and important topic within our profession.
Title:
Smart Tall Buildings
Date and time:
Friday April 19th, 2024, from 8:30 AM to 12:00 noon
Zoom streaming:
Advance FREE registration is required
In-person location:
101
Armory Building
, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Symposium has been submitted for submitted for
AIA CES
approval
Program:
Presentations by speakers followed by a panel discussion
Speakers:
Mehdi Jalayerian
, PE, Senior Principal, MEP Technical Lead,
Stantec
Thru Shivakumar
, CEO and Co-Founder of
Cohesion
Chris Payne
, Executive Vice President,
Riverside Investment and Development
Craig L. Hall
, United States Business Development Manager,
Abb Smart Buildings Solutions
Moderator:
Javier Quintana de Uña
, CEO,
Council on Vertical Urbanism
(formerly CTBUH)
Symposium poster
, click
here
April 14, 2023 Symposium: Advances and Innovations in Design of Tall Buildings
April 14, 2023 Symposium: Advances and Innovations in Design of Tall Buildings
A symposium on state-of-the-art integrated architectural and engineering design as well as construction of tall buildings.
Title: Advances and Innovations in Design of Tall Buildings
Date and time: Friday April 14th, 2023, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM
Zoom streaming:
Advance FREE registration is required
In-person location: Room 2 Education Building, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Symposium has been submitted for submitted for
AIA CES
approval
Speakers:
Ann Thompson, AIA, Executive Vice President, Related Midwest
Dennis C.K. Poon, PE, Managing Principal, Thornton Tomasetti, Inc.
James Pawlikowski, SE, LEED AP, Clinical Professor and Kerbis Fellow, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Principal, Datum Engineers
Jordan Komp, PE, SE, Associate Principal and Milwaukee Office Director, Thornton Tomasetti
Matt Streid, PE, SE, Principal, Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Click to watch the video of the entire sympsoium
Video of the symposium
April 8, 2022 Symposium: State of the Art in Design of Tall Buildings
Hear the latest in design of tall buildings from the experts who designed some of the most monumental tall buildings in the world.
Watch the Symposium Video
April 2, 2021 Symposium: The Future of Architectural Technologies
Organized by the Building Performance Program at the Illinois School of Architecture, this symposium brings together a stellar group of guest speakers who are leaders in architecture, engineering, construction, and research.
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