Scala | UIC
Edra Soto & Dan Sullivan
Scala
Computer Design Research and Learning Center
at the University of Illinois Chicago
Solid Poplar hardwood, water-based finish
Designed 2021, fabricated and installed 2025
“Scala”, Latin for “Ladder”, reflects the academic focus of the new building as well as the
individuals that congregate there. This community is simultaneously unified in its pursuit
of knowledge yet multifarious in its viewpoints, backgrounds, and goals. As such, “Scala”
symbolizes the individuality and diversity of the populace, as well as the accumulated
strength achieved through collaboration and community.
Aesthetically, Scala is inspired by mid-century architectural elements found in Puerto
Rico and the Caribbean, while responding to the existing architecture of the UIC campus,
designed by Walter Netsch. Soto has explored similar language in her “Screenhouse”
and “Victoria” sculptures, as well as numerous architectural interventions as part of her
www.navilluswoodworks.com“Graft” series. “Scala” is both a continuation of
this body of work as well as a departure, employing new vernacular, materials, form, and context.