A strategic goal of both the UIUC and the College of Business is to attract and attain the best faculty.  In order to do that, it is essential to provide faculty with office space that allows them maximum productivity.  The fourth floor of BIF has proven to be excellent space where faculty can work on research. 

As the College expands the fourth floor to include sixteen new offices, there is an opportunity to include a PV solar panel system.  However, the cost of this system is currently included as an alternate, rather than in the base project estimate.  We are hoping to fund this alternative power source as a way to advance UIUC sustainability initiatives and reduce operating expenses.The project maintains the energy performance of the existing LEED v2.1 Platinum building, improving upon current code requirements to the greatest extent possible given the constraints of existing infrastructure. A 12.5 kW PV array would not only wipe out the effect of the 4th floor addition on the campus energy supply (additional 13,185 kWh/year), but would also increase the overall percentage of renewable energy supplied to the building.