Two years ago, The Walsh Group, a $4 billion construction firm that traces its roots in Chicago back to 1898, found it needed more space for a new training and conference center. Unfortunately, there was no room at its West Loop headquarters for such a facility.
The fourth-generation, family-run firm could easily have built a new structure. Instead, the Walsh Group chose what it considered to be the more environmentally responsible path and rebuilt an underused 90-year-old warehouse/factory building. The project earned 86 points on the way to achieving LEED Platinum certification—at the time, the sixth-highest number of LEED points ever awarded.
PROJECT SUMMARY
WALSH GROUP TRAINING AND CONFERENCE CENTER
Chicago, Ill.Building Team
Submitting firm: The Walsh Group (owner)
Architect: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Structural engineer: CS Associates Inc.
Mechanical/electrical engineer: McGuire Engineers Inc.
General contractor: Walsh Construction Co.General Information
Size: 93,000 sf
Construction cost: $24 million
Construction time: April 2010 to June 2011
Delivery method: Design-build
With its Building Team partners—architect Solomon Cordwell Buenz, structural engineer CS Associates, and M/E engineer McGuire Engineers—Walsh Construction, acting as its own contractor, turned the former automobile showroom and paperboard package facility into a 93,000-sf showcase of sustainable design and construction.
Most of the original three-story structure, including 30,000 bricks, was salvaged, and 96% of construction waste was diverted from landfill. A fourth story was added, and the designer created a central atrium that provides natural daylighting through a massive skylight in the roof.
Sustainable features included a vegetated roof, a rainwater recovery system, and smart building technology that allows for partially localized environmental control.
Sophisticated MEP systems were employed: an HVAC system that uses solar thermal technology to pre-heat outdoor air before being inducted into the air-handling units, resulting in a projected 42% savings in energy costs; boilers with an 88% efficiency rating; and chemical-free water treatment for the evaporative condenser. The building’s exhaust air provides primary heating for the garage.
In the opinion of BD+C’s Reconstruction Awards jury, The Walsh Group made the right decision, for itself and for its home town. +
Related Stories
| Sep 13, 2022
Orange County opens civic center complex—one of California’s largest P3 projects
Orange County’s recently opened County Administration North (CAN) building caps an urban center development that constitutes one of California’s largest ever P3 projects.
Laboratories | Sep 12, 2022
Lab space scarcity propels construction demand in life sciences sector
In its 2021 Life Sciences Real Estate Outlook, JLL predicted that access to talent would be a primary concern for an industry sector that had been growing by leaps and bounds. A year later, talent still guides real estate decisions. But market conditions of a different sort were cooling the biotech field: namely, investors that have soured on startups which underperformed after going public. What this means for new construction and renovation going forward is unpredictable, as the drivers behind life sciences’ surge are still palpable.
Architects | Sep 12, 2022
FWA Group joins national architecture, interior design, and planning firm Hord Coplan Macht
Hord Coplan Macht acquires FWA Group.
| Sep 12, 2022
Staff at New York City architecture firm is first in U.S. to unionize
Staff at New York City architecture firm is first in U.S. to unionize.
| Sep 12, 2022
San Antonio’s new courthouse aims to provide safety and security while also welcoming the public
The San Antonio Federal Courthouse, which opened earlier this year, replaces a courthouse that had been constructed as a pavilion for the 1968 World’s Fair.
Giants 400 | Sep 9, 2022
Top 20 Casino Architecture + AE Firms for 2022
JCJ Architecture, DLR Group, HBG Design, and Cuningham top the ranking of the nation's largest casino architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Sep 9, 2022
Top 120 Hospitality Sector Architecture + AE Firms for 2022
Gensler, WATG, HKS, and JCJ Architecture top the ranking of the nation's largest hospitality facilities sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue for all hospitality facilities work, including casinos, hotels, and resorts.
| Sep 9, 2022
Add sand shortage to supply chain woes
As if it wasn’t enough to have lumber, windows, doors, and metal pipe in short supply, you can add sand, which is theoretically plentiful on Earth, to the list of construction materials that can be hard to come by.
Giants 400 | Sep 8, 2022
Top 115 Hotel Sector Architecture + AE Firms for 2022
Gensler, WATG, HKS, and Stantec top the ranking of the nation's largest hotel and resort sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Senior Living Design | Sep 8, 2022
What’s new with AQ: The top trends in active adult living
Today's 55-or-better buyers are ready to design their lives and their homes as they see fit. With so much growth on tap, builders and developers must stay apprised of trends related to home, environment, and culture of 55+ communities.
