Transforming a National Historic Landmark Into a Green Nanogrid: The Case of Crown Hall

S.R. Crown Hall, depicted in figure 1, located at 3360 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois, on the main campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), is home to the College of Architecture. Crown Hall is a modern masterpiece that Time magazine called, "one of the world's most influential, inspiring and astonishing structures." Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1956, Crown Hall cohesively represents his architectural concepts and theories in their most complete and mature form. Crown Hall is a straightforward expression of construction and materiality, allowing the structure to transcend into art. Its refinement and innovation place Crown Hall among the most distinguished buildings of its age and define its importance in the history of architecture. Crown Hall was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2001 by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Crown Hall was last restored in 2005 by the architects Mark Sexton and Gunny Harboe, who led the multimillion dollar restoration project of this landmark building.