U.S. Government Selects Turner Construction for $110-Million Renovation of 45-Year-Old Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago

Pingree police station earns LEED silver certification, while McShane completes 294-unit luxury apartment complex in Downers Grove

Turner Selected for $110-Million Renovation of Dirksen Courthouse in Chicago

The U.S. General Services Administration has selected Turner Construction Co. to provide construction and construction-management services for the $110-million renovation of the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, Ill., which was constructed in 1964 and designed by Mies Van Der Rohe.

The courthouse will remain in operation during the renovation, with work being performed during nights and weekends. Completion is scheduled for 2012.

The 1.3-million-sq-ft, 30-story building houses federal government offices, 57 federal courts and associated chambers and administrative space.

Turner is providing preconstruction estimating, scheduling and logistics services for the renovation. The scope of work managed by Turner will include replacement of the heating and cooling systems, emergency generator and fire alarm systems and the fit-out of three floors. Part of the purpose of the renovation is to make the building a high-performance, energy-efficient facility, according to Steve Fort, vice president and general manager of Turner’s Chicago operations.

Meridian Completes Chicago Build-To-Suit

A new 38,000-sq-ft warehouse and distribution facility built in the Chicago Stockyards Industrial Park was constructed using the design-build delivery system. (Photo courtesy of Meridian Design Build)

Meridian Design Build, Deerfield, Ill., has completed construction of a new 37,942-sq-ft facility for Gypsum Supply Company in the Chicago Stockyards Industrial Park.

The building, constructed by Meridian on a design-build basis, contains about 33,000 sq ft of warehouse and distribution space, 3,000 sq ft of office/employee support/showroom areas, on-site detention, and fenced outside storage.

Sustainable features incorporated into the design include a white reflective thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roof, concrete pavement, and bio-swales.

About 2,500 tons of concrete and masonry were crushed and reused on site, significantly reducing the amount imported virgin aggregate needed.

More than 92% of the waste generated during construction was recycled or otherwise diverted from landfills.

The design team included Cornerstone Architects Ltd. and SpaceCo Inc.

Bulley & Andrews Completes Swissotel Chicago Renovation and Expansion

Bulley & Andrews, Chicago, recently completed a renovation and expansion that renewed the two-decade-old Swissôtel Chicago into a state-of-the-art facility.

Bulley & Andrews’ work on the all-glass triangular hotel at 323 E. Wacker Drive included upgrades to all 661 guest rooms, as well as the interior build-out of a 38,000-sq-ft, two-level event center with a 14,000-sq- ft ballroom and three junior ballrooms.

Work on the guest rooms began in December, 2007, with Bulley & Andrews starting from the fifth floor and working upward to the 41st floor, in groups of 10 to 15 floors at a time. Each group of floors had to be completed in just seven weeks. “We had to complete the 550 room renovations in four short months,” said Bulley & Andrews’ project manager Chris Knapp.

Renovating each room required removal of the furniture and carpet, repainting, installation of a new shower and vanity, and installation of new carpet and furniture.

All but 100 rooms were completed by April 1, 2008. Renovation of the remaining rooms started in December, 2008, and completed by February, 2009.

The renovation also more than doubled the hotel’s meeting and conference space from 27,000 sq ft to 65,000 sq ft. The renovation also includes 20,000 sq ft of lobby and service corridors on the first and second floors.

The project also converted the hotel’s third and fourth floors from meeting space into guest rooms, bringing the total room count to 661. Working on a tight schedule and in a fully operational hotel, Bulley & Andrews completed the event center in nine months. The new facility opened in spring 2009 and is now one of the largest event venues in Chicago.

Need Sparks Wisconsin’s First Free-standing Emergency Center

Wisconsin’s first stand-alone emergency center has been completed in Sun Prairie. (Photo courtesy of Flad Architects)

Located miles from any hospital, the $8.2-million St. Mary’s Sun Prairie Emergency Center is the state’s first free-standing emergency center. Before the center opened, the residents of Sun Prairie had few options in a medical emergency. Without any 24/7 emergency medical care in the area, residents had to drive 25 minutes into Madison to seek emergency care.

“Time becomes a critical factor and what this new emergency medical center will offer is the ability to minimize the response time,” said Sun Prairie Mayor Joe Chase. “The proximity of the facility and its accessible location will eliminate wasted travel time for a patient with a medical trauma.” The facility offers state-of-the art emergency care and diagnosis.

Designed by Flad Architects and constructed by J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., the 13,500-sq-ft center houses 10 treatment rooms—including a fire-truck-themed room for pediatric patients, 100% board certified and prepared physicians, 100% certified emergency nurses, a drive-through ambulance bay, and a helipad to transport critical patients to Madison hospitals.

Morgan/Harbour to Complete Build-Out for the Hinsdale Orthopaedic Group

Morgan/Harbour Construction, Woodridge, Ill., has been selected to complete an 11,868-sq-ft project in the Silver Cross Medical Office Building for the Hinsdale Orthopaedic Group. The building is on the Silver Cross Replacement Hospital campus in New Lenox, Ill.

Morgan / Harbour will complete two custom interior suites for the orthopaedic group on the first and second floors of the facility. The project will feature X-ray, physical therapy and treatment rooms as well as a state-of-the-art MRI suite. Construction also includes the build-out of nursing stations, waiting areas, an office area and a laboratory.

Design Organization Inc. is providing the architectural services. Developer of the facility is HSA’s Primecare Division.

Pingree Grove Police Facility Earns LEED Silver Certification

The new Pingree Grove Police Facility, which opened in 2008 in the Village of Pingree Grove, Ill., has recently received LEED silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Designed by the Elgin, Ill., office of PSA-Dewberry/BCA, an architectural and engineering firm, the facility is a 10,000-sq-ft, single-story building that includes personnel offices, classrooms, evidence and arms storage, staff showers and lockers, conference and interview rooms, a processing area and holding facilities. Its design includes room for up to 20,000 sq ft of expansion.

Sustainable design highlights include landscaping that does not require permanent irrigation systems. Solar and wind energy provide green power equal to 70% of the building’s total annual electrical energy usage through a two-year renewable energy contract. Round-the-clock operations in the facility are projected save 23% of energy cost, because of an energy-efficient mechanical system.

The building’s exterior and interior lighting fixtures reduce light pollution and save energy by automatically switching on or off when a person enters or leaves a room. The facility also features charging stations with electrical plugs to recharge hybrid police vehicles. Low-flow sinks and dual-flush toilets were chosen to reduce water usage by about 30%.

About 80 tons of site-generated construction waste was diverted from landfills.

Holland Construction Builds New Aquatic Center

Holland Construction Services Inc., Swansea, Ill., is constructing a new family aquatic center for the city of Salem, Ill. The new facility is scheduled to open in May, 2010.

Located in Bryan Memorial Park near the site of the recently demolished old pool, the new $3.4-million Family Aquatic Center will include an 8,937-sq-ft main pool, a 720-sq-ft toddler pool, large bathhouse, mechanical building and new drive and parking lot.

A large water slide, several play and water features, and large shade umbrellas surrounded by extensive landscaping will complete the site.

The new aquatic center replaces a public pool that was more than 70 years old, believed to have been the oldest public pool in Illinois, according to Salem city manager Thomas Christie.

“This new multi-purpose facility will allow for many more aquatic recreational activities for the community,” Christie says. “It will provide opportunities for competitive and recreational swimming, and will also have a zero-depth entry in one end for young children.”

Design was provided by St. Louis aquatic designer Councsilman-Hunsaker, who teamed with FGM Architects of O’Fallon, Ill. on architectural services.

McShane Completes 294-Unit Luxury Apartment Complex

The new Residences at the Grove luxury rental community in Downers Grove, Ill., includes 270 apartments in three eight-story buildings and 24 townhouses. (Photo courtesy of McShane Construction Co.)

McShane Construction Company, Rosemont, Ill., recently completed the 294-unit, 433,932-sq-ft “Residences at the Grove” luxury rental community for M & R Development. The multi-building rental complex is located on 16 acres in Downers Grove, Ill.

The development includes three 128,480-sq-ft, eight-story apartment buildings featuring 270 residential units, 24 rental townhouses offering a total of 44,400 sq ft, and a 4,092-sq-ft clubhouse with reception area, business center, kitchen, fitness center and outdoor swimming pool.

Cordogan Clark & Associates provided the architectural services for the project.

Ragnar Benson Completes Office Building

A new $8.7-million office building is the first constructed in Phase One of the new Bell Valley Commons subdivision near Rockford, Ill. (Photo courtesy of Ragnar Benson Construction)

A new three-story, $8.7-million, office building has sprung up in a former cornfield along I-90 north of Newburg Road near Rockford, Ill. Construction of One Bell Valley Commons on 4.39 acres was recently completed by Ragnar Benson Construction for C-Bro Ltd. Development Group. The project includes the office build-out for the accounting firm McGladrey.

This is the first building in the 40-acre Phase One development of Bell Valley Commons subdivision.

Ragnar Benson was awarded the design-build office project through its parent company, William Charles Ltd.