The Siebel Center for Design was awarded the LEED Gold Certification on September 1, 2021. The project earned 68 out of 110 total credits on the LEED v2009 New Construction scorecard. The new design center features sustainable objectives for a sustainable site including community connectivity, public transportation access, and reduced heat island effect. The building has significant indoor and outdoor water use reduction, as well as optimized energy performance and on-site renewable energy. The LEED Scorecard for all credits achieved is available below and in the USGBC Directory.

The Siebel Center for Design provides the University of Illinois campus with a new interdisciplinary design center, the first in the United States, for anyone of all disciplines. The building includes many flexible classrooms, workspaces, and lecture rooms for use by anyone from the university. Similarly, there are also labs, a cafe, gallery, and many other spaces for interdisciplinary collaboration. In addition, the center offers in person classes for students about human-centered design topics as well as workshops for students and faculty and free online learning labs. 

Sustainable objectives of the building include:

• A potable water use reduction of 37%.
• Stormwater control design and water efficient landscaping requiring no water usage.
• An energy cost savings of 36.6% and on site renewable energy generating 16% of total energy costs.
• 75% of construction waste was diverted from landfills.
• The usage of recycled building materials and locally-sourced materials.
• Indoor air quality management and a ventilation system in compliance with ASHRAE 62.1-2007 requirements. 
• Designed with low-emitting materials and pollution source control for optimal indoor environmental quality.
• Thermal comfort design meeting ASHRAE 55-2004 standards.