Iowa State University Student Innovation Center

The multi-award-winning Student Innovation Center is truly without precedent, both in its program and appearance. The facility was conceived as an inspirational and collaborative maker space with dedicated areas for each College. Spanning 146,000 square feet, the five-level building offers a variety of flexible spaces, including prototyping labs, fabrication studios, and open classrooms, all equipped with state-of-the-art resources to support experimentation and innovation. A distinctive feature of the center is its pleated glass curtain wall façade, offering panoramic campus views while also improving energy efficiency by reducing solar heat gain by over one-third. This innovative design contributed to the building achieving LEED Gold certification. The project, with a total cost of $84 million, serves as a central hub for innovation and embodies Iowa State University’s commitment to experiential learning and interdisciplinary collaboration, equipping students with the resources and space to bring their ideas to life.