Twenty-nine architectural firms from throughout North America competed recently for the opportunity to design Columbia’s Media Production Center, which will be the college’s first original-construction building. After reviewing multiple proposals, the college’s architectural selection committee chose a local firm—Jeanne Gang & Studio Gang Architects—to head the development.

Emerging as one of the most innovative architectural firms in the country, Studio Gang has designed a number of local buildings, including the Starlight Theater in Rockford (known for its unique movable roof) and the Chinese American Center in Chicago’s Chinatown.

At roughly 40,000 square feet, the Media Production Center will feature two sound stages, a motion-capture studio, and an animation lab. The building is proposed to be built at the southwest corner of 16th and State Streets on a vacant lot currently owned by the City of Chicago. The land sale to Columbia, allowing for the construction of the facility, is on its way to the Community Development Commission and the City Council for approval.