|
The historic Illinois State Toll Highway Authority's oases were the futurist's bow to American car culture - and the country's only over-the-road travelers' stops.
Ironically, these icons to the future had fallen behind the times and required reconstruction.
The $94 million project involved the demolition and reconstruction of the seven oases; six are located atop bridges spanning some of the country's busiest expressways, and one is a roadside facility.
The five original oases, which opened in 1959, were built atop cast-in-place concrete bridges. The Lincoln Oasis, originally constructed in 1968, is a structural steel bridge with a 140-ft.-long clear span across the expressway, and the DeKalb Oasis, which was originally constructed in 1975, is the only roadside facility.
The buildings were stripped to their bridge decks and reconstructed while traffic continued below.
A jobsite with 200,000 cars and trucks speeding below 24 hours a day presented less-than-ideal conditions.
With each facility, a reinforced concrete building that included 2 million lbs. of heavily reinforced concrete on its roof was demolished. At the same time, crews worked off of and could not damage a 45-year-old bridge with 4-in. concrete deck and active utilities.
Durable and Beautiful
The goals included constructing durable and attractive pavilions that emphasized light and openness while capitalizing on striking views of the roadways.
The buildings also had to provide flexible space for leasing that would help the developers increase their capture rates and make the spaces viable retail outlets.
The new structures are 40,000 sq. ft. on their main levels, with an additional 10,000 sq. ft. on the lower levels. The buildings are essentially glassed-in sky bridges, with glass curtain wall spanning the terrazzo floors to the 30-ft.-high ceilings.
Nearly 17,000 sq. ft. of low-emissivity aluminum curtain wall is attached to the steel structure.
A new structural-steel-truss frame spans the roadways, replacing the original cast-in-place concrete beams and concrete deck roof structure. The arched system is visible from the roadway.
Nearly 5 million lbs. of structural steel were placed for the six over-the-road buildings. To expand the existing facilities by about 25,000 sq. ft., the landside foundations were expanded.
There are picnic facilities and dog runs. Inside, the oases feature a variety of vendors to satisfy travelers' needs in light-filled, airy spaces.
The jury said, "No public funds were used. The developer paid the funds, and it was all private funds. The facilities are a lot better looking then what they were before. And, they do provide the facilities that travelers need."
Key Players
Owner:
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, Downers Grove
Developer:
Wilton Partners, Los Angeles
General Contractor:
James McHugh Construction Co., Chicago
Architect and Structural Engineer:
Cordogan Clark & Associates, Chicago
Click Here for More Best of 2005 Feature Stories
|
print this page
e-mail this page
