In 1963, University of Illinois professor and architect A. Richard Williams designed the College of Education building to reflect the future of learning. His pioneering “Mid-Continent Modern” style emphasized clean lines, practical design, and working in harmony with nature—an innovative idea at the time that earned him national recognition and an American Institute of Architects Honor Award.

Williams believed that buildings should connect with their environment, and now, more than 60 years later, that idea is quite literally coming to life. Like a flower growing out of a rock cropping or concrete patch, sometimes nature pops up where you don't expect it. This May, a lush living wall emerged in the building’s south lobby, nestled between its original concrete columns.

This new green feature isn’t just a design upgrade—it’s a fresh way to honor the building’s roots while reinforcing the College’s commitment to sustainability, experiential learning, and student well-being. It’s a beautiful nod to the past, and an exciting step into the future.

A Seed of an Idea

Samantha Lindgren, assistant professor in the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, has had sustainability on her mind from an early age. As a teacher, she focused on environmental problem-solving, and much of her scholarly research is now geared toward climate and environmental education.

Lindgren and fellow EPOL and Curriculum & Instruction professor Jon Hale have frequently partnered on sustainability education work, including Lindgren being a panelist at Hale's recent Climate and Sustainability Education Summit event on campus, to developing funding proposals and publishing a paper together on sustainability education.

Seeing an opportunity for more extensive sustainability education offerings at Illinois, Lindgren and Hale applied for Investment for Growth funding through the Office of the Provost. Their proposal includes an online graduate-level certificate program in justice-oriented sustainability education and developing new general education classes in sustainability for undergraduates.

Lindgren and Hale approached Jeffry Royce, the College's assistant director for facilities at the time, for his help implementing the living wall portion of the project.

"Sam and Jon were generous enough to include me as a co-PI on the project after submitting the initial Investment for Growth proposal," says Royce, “I recall them both being excited for an opportunity to showcase sustainability and to bring new life into the building.”

Designed for Future Growth

The living wall was designed collaboratively, with input from a wide array of stakeholders.

"The survey that we sent to the College of Education community contained all of the student designs, images of the plants that could be used in the wall, and a blank design page for anyone else who wanted to submit an additional design," says Lindgren.

"Student involvement was at the heart of this project, and this was particularly important as we received our initial funding from the Student Sustainability Committee,” she says. “The SSC proposal process included engagement with the students in the SSC Education and Justice subcommittee."

For the design and construction of the living wall, they worked with Phillips Interior Plants, who created a plant layout and frame based on survey feedback.

Illinois Facilities and Services carpenters custom-built cabinetry for the frame of the plant nooks to match existing wood trim throughout the building.

The wall features 775 individual nooks, each with its own plant. It is connected to the building's plumbing system and will self-water, alleviating the need for someone to climb to the second floor with a watering can. Full-spectrum LED lights now hanging above the wall will ensure the plant's photosynthetic needs are met.

The plants chosen to make up the living wall include a variety of Pothos, Spider plants, and Ficus robusta. These species are known for their ability to thrive indoors and in low light.

The plant wall design also harkens back to the painting "Six Thousand Color Sections," that hung in the space since 1992 and will be relocated as part of the renovation.

"Much of the feedback indicated a desire for the new installation to fit naturally amongst the geometric architectural flavors of the building," says Royce, "And to pay homage to the painting that stood sentry in the south lobby for many years. We believe the colors and pattern of the final design accomplish exactly that."

A Grounded Sense of Wellbeing

So why a green wall?

In their funding application, Lindgren and Hale mentioned many benefits for the college's physical environment. The wall itself is educational in its use of green technology and architecture, which provides natural air filtration, thermal stability, and noise absorption to meet green climate standards set in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP).

The group also points out that green spaces are often referred to as "restorative spaces" that have been shown to have emotional and psychological benefits for people indoors.

"The College of Education is a fitting place to build an innovative space intended for sustainability education," Lindgren says. "The building was designed as an experimental, open-space concept that mirrored the progressive social and political trends of the time. This period brought renewed research in experiential learning, collaboration, and centering students to advance democratic ideals.

“So a green space reinvigorates the College's historic mission and makes a visual commitment to the progressive social and climate goals advanced by the College, embedded in the iCAP, and championed by current and future Illini."

Growing Green Infrastructure

Part of the funding application includes other improvements to the College's physical environment and new learning opportunities. While a "green roof" is a relatively new architectural trend, the planters on the eastern plaza of the College have served as a green roof since they were installed.

"They sit on top of the offices on the lower level of the College," Lindgren says, "they have a drainage system and are full of a rocky soil mixture that's lighter than garden soil."

According to the group's application, the plan is to rejuvenate the plant life in these planters, which will be filled with native plants.

This will create an opportunity for an outdoor classroom space for formal and informal learning to occur. QR codes and signage will highlight learning opportunities about the flora and the indigenous peoples who inhabited the land before the university was founded. The signs will include languages of the Sauk and Peoria, among other native tribes.

As alluded to earlier, the living wall and green roof are part of a larger plan for sustainability education within the College of Education. Lindgren, Hale, and a group of College of Education faculty and staff members have been seeking campus approval for a new academic certificate, Sustainability Education.

Reaching Maturity

As the Living Wall project is completed, it's bittersweet for Royce. Midway through, he took a job across campus at the Siebel School for Computing and Data Science. After all the hours he'd already put in, Royce wanted to get the project over the finish line.

Initially slated for an Earth Day 2024 reveal, delays led to construction beginning this spring. Royce and the whole team are celebrating both the end of a long journey and the breath of fresh air the living wall brings the Education Building and all its visitors.