Sustainable Design at Illinois

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Sustainable Design at Illinois

Official account for the B.S. in Sustainable Design degree program through the College of FAA

05/19/2026

Congratulations to our graduates, the BSSD class of 2026! 🎓🎉🙌

05/15/2026

🌱 As we close out the semester, we are highlighting Charley Marchis, another student supported by a Fall 2025 BSSD Opportunity Scholarship!

Charley used the Opportunity Scholarship to prepare for an take the LEED Green Associate exam.

🌱 CM: “The BSSD Opportunity Scholarship supported my academic and professional development by covering the cost of registering for the LEED Green Associate exam. Preparing for this exam has deepened my understanding of sustainable building principles and helped me connect coursework in sustainable design with real-world industry standards. The credential aligns closely with my academic interests and career goals in sustainability and the built environment.”

Congrats, Charley!

05/14/2026

It was great to see so many of you at last week’s opening of the 2026 BSSD Capstone Exhibition. If you missed the reception, the work remains on view in the Sustainable Design Gallery on the second floor of the Architecture Building through September 6! Free and open to the public.

At the opening, Director Karin Hodgin Jones shared remarks on the creativity, tenacity, and care of BSSD students reflected through their projects:

“It has been my honor to work with you over the four years that I have led the BSSD program, and to grow with you as this program has grown and changed. I’m so pleased to see your work hanging in the new Sustainable Design Gallery for the entire community to see.

At this moment—a full step into the middle of the 21st century—you are confronting, interrogating, and constructing new forms and types of work. Some of your paths emerge from, and tackle, decades-old problems that have reached their most urgent need for attention. Some of you are recognizing newly emergent matters that require urgent care.

You are the visionary leaders who can think across scales, across disciplines, and between communities to imagine true solutions for our collective future. I may be a bit biased, but I am firmly of the belief that your work is essential for visioning and implementing creative and viable solutions to this moment in history. I hope you all believe that about yourselves, too.”

05/12/2026

✨ You are warmly invited to join the BSSD Senior Celebration to celebrate the collective journey and individual successes of our accomplished students. Whether you can attend the entire event or just a portion, we hope you will join us!

🍰 As graduation approaches, we are excited to celebrate our Sustainable Design seniors! We will kick off the weekend of celebration with a delicious BBQ and engaging activities that reflect on the seniors’ experiences and accomplishments during their time at Illinois.

🎉All are welcome to this celebration!🎉

📅 Friday, May 15
🕐 12-3 PM
📍 Illini Grove (Pavilion & Oak)

05/11/2026

🌱 BSSD Students, this is the final bimonthly calendar of the semester! Let’s celebrate our graduating seniors and finish the semester out strong!

📚 May 8-14 | Final Exam Period
📢 May 11 | Application Due for the BSSD Social Media and Communications Internship
🎓 May 15 | BSSD Senior Celebration, 1:00 pm Illini Grove
🎓 May 16 | Illinois Commencement
🎓 May 17 | Sustainable Design Convocation, 11:30 am Siebel Center for Design
🖼️ ONGOING | Capstone Exhibition, Sustainable Design Gallery, Architecture Building 2nd floor

Wishing you a happy summer. Congrats to our graduating class. Looking forward to seeing everyone else back on campus in the fall.

05/06/2026

Students installing their work for the 2026 BSSD Capstone Exhibition

Opening Tonight - You’re Invited!!

When: Wednesday, May 6th, 5:30 - 7:30 pm, opening remarks at 6:00 pm

Where: Sustainable Design Gallery, Architecture Building, 2nd Floor, 608 Lorado Taft Dr.

The Capstone is the culmination of every BSSD degree, and a demonstration of how students learn to apply creativity, systems thinking, and sustainability to solve real-world challenges. Guided by faculty, students have spent the last year leveraging knowledge gained throughout their college career to design solutions to a critical sustainability concern they are most passionate about. With a shared commitment to cultivating a better future, the diversity of Capstone projects reflects the truly individualized, interdisciplinary paths each student follows.

The BSSD Capstone posters will be on view in the Sustainable Design Gallery through September 6.

All are welcome to this free, public program celebrating the class of 2026!

05/05/2026

🌱 Today, we are highlighting Dale Sink's project, another student accomplishment supported by a Fall 2025 BSSD Opportunity Scholarship!

BSSD: Tell us about your project and how the scholarship supported your development

🌱 DS: “Like many urban waterways, Boneyard Creek has developed alongside Urbana, Illinois. The highly industrialized, man-made stretch through West Urbana lacks a natural riparian shore and has lost many ecological functions. Some cities now use artificial wetlands to purify water through phytoremediation while restoring habitat for native species. I am designing a habitat box suspended from the retention wall in Boneyard’s shallow waters. Functioning like a floating ecosystem, it works in only inches of water to revitalize the creek as a protected corridor for riparian plants and wildlife. I have researched native plants, built two prototypes, and assembled a design team.”

“The BSSD Opportunity Scholarship is funding the materials for this project, allowing me to apply sustainability principles learned in class. The project focuses on protecting clean, healthy waterways and sharing them with plants and animals. I hope to ground my future professional design career in water management and urban waterway design. This BSSD support makes the project possible on a student budget and enables me to explore solutions to a complex problem using concepts from my coursework. This project supports both my academic growth and professional development.”

BSSD: What are your future goals for the project?

🌱 DS: “After the working prototype is installed, this project will be pitched to the City of Urbana to be installed as a permanent ecological intervention on Boneyard Creek. This project intends to further my understanding of artificial wetlands as either compatible or incompatible solutions for anthropogenic waterways. I foresee more exploration, either professionally or academically, in advancing the exploration of the ideas in this project to develop a series of hanging wetlands that would line segments of Boneyard Creek to create a riparian corridor for small animals and insects.”

Congrats, Dale! We're excited to see the project move forward!

05/01/2026

You’re invited! Please join us for the opening reception of the 2026 BSSD Capstone Exhibition.

When: Wednesday, May 6th, 5:30 - 7:30 pm, opening remarks at 6:00 pm

Where: Sustainable Design Gallery, Architecture Building, 2nd Floor, 608 Lorado Taft Dr.

The Capstone is the culmination of every BSSD degree, and a demonstration of how students learn to apply creativity, systems thinking, and sustainability to solve real-world challenges. Guided by faculty, students have spent the last year leveraging knowledge gained throughout their college career to design solutions to a critical sustainability concern they are most passionate about. With a shared commitment to cultivating a better future, the diversity of Capstone projects reflects the truly individualized, interdisciplinary paths each student follows.

All are welcome to this free, public program celebrating our graduating class!

First-years, sophomores, and juniors are encouraged to join us. Bring a friend!

Graphic design by Lea Huang-Yanez

04/29/2026

🌱 Today, we are highlighting Ezldean Shalabi's fashion project, another student accomplishment supported by a Fall 2025 BSSD Opportunity Scholarship!

BSSD: Tell us about your project and the progress you've made thus far.

🌱 ES: “Since being awarded, I ran a successful brand activation / physical pop-up in downtown Chicago over winter break. In addition, I ordered samples to test different products and design methods from manufacturers.”

BSSD: How has the Scholarship supported your development?

🌱 ES: “It allowed me to have more flexibility and room to breathe. Getting help in managing my cost of education while I continue my growth in entrepreneurship has helped me focus on challenging myself.”

BSSD: What are your future goals or plans for the project?

🌱 ES: "I tried a few new strategies for customizations. Once I get an idea of what's possible, I'll be putting together a new collection.”

Congrats, Ezldean! We're excited to see this move forward!

04/27/2026

BSSD students check out what's happening!

🍎April 29 | Brown Bag Seminar Series: Grad School: Why am I thinking about it and how can I prepare? 12:30-1:30 PM | BSSD Office (210C Architecture) BSSD Brown Bag Seminars are informal, student-centered gatherings where you can discuss compelling topics and connect with peers who share your curiosity. This is a space to explore ideas, ask questions, and learn from one another. Bring your lunch and share in community!

🌳 May 1 | FOREST Sunrise Procession
5:30–7:30 am | University of Illinois Arboretum, Urbana
*Meet in Japan House parking lot* Be part of a Sunrise May Day forest-planting parade with Unreliable Bestiary artists Deke Weaver and Jennifer Allen, Landscape Architecture students and faculty members Brian Deal and David Hays, and musician Jason Finkelman.

📅 May 4 | Application Due for BSSD Social Media and Communications Internship
We are looking for a part-time student employee to manage social media communications for the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design (BSSD) program and contribute to our graphic design and documentation needs. Flexible schedule of 4-10 hours per week. Email Mariana Seda at [email protected] to apply and include a resume, summary of experience and interest, and work samples (a combination of graphic design, photography, and video or reels for social media are preferred).

🎉 May 5 | FAA Senior Celebration
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Papa Del's Pizza Factory. FAA wants to celebrate your graduation! Please RSVP and join us for food, giveaways, toasts, music, and more!

🖼️ May 6 | Capstone Exhibition Reception
The Capstone is the culmination of every Sustainable Design major’s degree, and a demonstration of how students learn to apply creativity, systems thinking, and sustainability to solve real-world challenges. With a shared commitment to cultivating a better future, the diversity of Capstone projects reflects the truly individualized, interdisciplinary paths each student follows. Please join us in congratulating our graduating class on the completion of their BSSD Capstone Projects!

📚May 6 | Last Day of Classes

☀️May 7 | Reading Day

✏️May 8-14 | Final Exam Period

Address

Champaign, IL
61820

Website

https://faa.illinois.edu/units/sustainable-design/, https://linktr.ee/susdesignil

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