Every morning, graduate architecture students at Judson University wake up in a product showroom. They cook breakfast on Corian counters. Wash dishes at Delta fixtures. Study in spaces where Homasote panels control acoustics. Live with BEHR paint finishes day after day, watching how they perform under real use.

This isn't marketing. It's Glunz Hall, a living laboratory where building products become curriculum. Opened in October 2025, the adaptive reuse project converted a vacant downtown Elgin bank headquarters into housing for 40 graduate students, with materials contributed by manufacturers investing in the architects who will specify their products for decades to come.

The Power of Strategic Partnerships

This project represents what happens when manufacturers invest in the future of their own industry. BEHR, Corian®, Delta Faucet, FreeAxez, Homasote, Kräus, Trim-Tex, and Visual Comfort contributed materials and products that shape every surface, fixture, and finish throughout the building. These contributions go beyond philanthropy. They create direct relationships between manufacturers and the architects who will specify their products for decades to come. Every morning routine becomes a lesson in material performance, durability, and specification intelligence.

This is the kind of engagement that transforms how architects think about products. When they enter practice, they'll remember which faucet never dripped, which countertop never stained, which paint finish held up to constant use. That memory becomes preference. Preference becomes specification.

An Ecosystem Approach

The project emerged from the Anguleris commitment to architectural education. The Future Architect Fund, which we established to support the next generation of designers, coordinated the philanthropic contributions that made the project possible. Studio Vertex, our design collaborative, led the adaptive reuse alongside Judson alumnus and Anguleris founder Benjamin Glunz. Our platforms and our people came together to create something that serves the entire industry.

The Living Lab Model

Glunz Hall's thirteen apartments and ground-floor Glunz Studio for Architecture and Urbanism function as an ongoing case study. Students don't just read about solid surface performance or acoustic ratings. They live with these products. They clean them, use them, observe them across seasons and situations. They learn which technical specifications translate to meaningful user experience.

Many of the manufacturers involved will continue their relationship with Judson University through workshops held at Glunz Hall. Students gain direct access to technical representatives, product engineers, and material scientists. These are the same professionals they'll collaborate with throughout their careers. The relationships start early, built on shared knowledge rather than sales pitches.

For manufacturers, this creates something rare: genuine advocacy among emerging professionals. When these students enter firms, they'll bring familiarity with these manufacturers' products, understanding of their applications, and confidence in their performance. That's worth more than any advertisement.

Building the Future Together

The architecture and construction industry succeeds when manufacturers and designers work in partnership. Glunz Hall proves what's possible when that partnership extends to education. By contributing products to this living lab, manufacturers invest in architects who will shape the built environment for the next forty years.

At Anguleris, we see this as a model worth replicating. Our reach spans hundreds of thousands of architects daily through BIMsmith, Swatchbox, Modlar, MasterSpec, and Archbase. Our strategies help manufacturers connect with the design community at every stage of the specification journey. But projects like Glunz Hall remind us why this work matters. We're building the infrastructure that lets great products reach great designers, ensuring the next generation has the tools, knowledge, and relationships they need to create exceptional buildings.

For more information about the Future Architect Fund and ways to support the next generation of architects, visit www.futurearchitectfund.org.