With 12 institutions, 280 national championships, and 120 years of historic intercollegiate sports, the Big Ten Conference will continue its mission of “honoring legends and building leaders” in a new $20 million, 50,000-sf headquarters in Rosemont, Ill.
The mixed-use HQ features a 3,500-sf interactive museum on the first floor showcasing past and present legends. The building also includes a conference center on the second floor for more than 130 annual Big Ten academic and athletic meetings that educate tomorrow’s Conference leaders. Oh, and don’t forget the 10,000-sf Brazilian steakhouse, Fogo de Chao, on the first floor. Athletes need to eat, too.
The facility will also include an office for the Village of Rosemont, a Big Ten visitor’s center, catering kitchen, fitness center, dining area, office space for the Conference’s 40 on-site staff members, and a third floor video command center, where conference officials can train and monitor games on eight, 60-inch LCD screens and one 130-inch screen with separate, sound-isolated booths. Conference officials also have the ability to broadcast on the Big Ten Network from the command center.
“The completion of our hew headquarters has given us the space needed for our staff to function properly while leaving room for future growth,” said Brad Traviolia, Deputy Commissioner, Big Ten Conference. “The state-of-the-art conference center allows us to host gatherings of leaders from our member institutions as well as from across the country.”
Fast-tracked construction
Fast-tracked to meet the first of the Conference’s meetings last year, Leopardo Companies, Inc. (www.leopardo.com), the project’s contractor, worked with base-building and other space-specific architects as well as the building’s structural and MEP engineers to complete the facility in just under a year, opening in October 2013.
Beginning construction in the late fall of 2012 created a challenge for Leopardo, which had to battle Chicago’s severe winter weather on multiple occasions.
“We needed to get the pad constructed and complete all the underground utility work as quickly as possible, pouring the slab on grade before we even erected the steel to save time and money for the client, relative to the imminent winter weather at the time,” said Leigh McMillen, vice president, Leopardo. Even so, a massive wind tunnel threatened the completion of the second and third floor concrete, and a temporary enclosure had to be rebuilt during construction before successfully completing the slab.
Once construction started, the decision was made to finish the interior of the museum space instead of just a core and shell build out, with the same fast-tracked delivery. Leopardo suggested a depressed slab, or 6-inch computer access floor, to provide the flexibility to both move interactive displays as needed over time and also the right amount of cooling/heating. With a depressed slab, Leopardo successfully finished the slab-on-grade pour before the weather worsened, saving money on winter conditions and expediting the schedule. Improved safety was another benefit of having the slab-on-grade poured early. Working off of a flat, finished concrete slab ensures each ladder, scaffold and lift had a firm footing to the ground.
A unique terra cotta rain screen was specified for the building’s exterior in orange to resemble real brick. Manufactured in Europe, the 1x4-foot clay panels hang on a steel rail system that’s mounted to the building’s exterior framing. In its highest profile application to date and its debut in the Chicago area, Leopardo teamed with another Midwest contractor to meet the distinctive challenges that came with its installation.
"I think the idea and execution of a multi-functional space?office, museum and restaurant?is a good example of the construction team finding an innovative solution," said Brad Traviolia, Deputy Commissioner, Big Ten Conference. "Working with Leopardo on solutions like this make the building what it is today and we are extremely pleased with the finished product."
Located in the heart of Rosemont’s new MB Financial Bank entertainment district, the most recognized brand in intercollegiate sports history just got BIGger.
Related Stories
Biophilic Design | May 18, 2022
Horticulturalists conduct research study to understand the value of biophilic design
Benholm Group, horticulturalists that have pioneered the use of plants for interiors over the past 27 years, are collaborating on a research study to understand the value of biophilic design, according to a news release.
Market Data | May 18, 2022
Architecture Billings Index moderates slightly, remains strong
For the fifteenth consecutive month architecture firms reported increasing demand for design services in April, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Building Team | May 18, 2022
Bjarke Ingels-designed KING Toronto releases its final set of luxury penthouses
In April 2020, a penthouse at KING Toronto sold for $16 million, the highest condo sale in Toronto that year or the year after.
Building Team | May 17, 2022
MKA’s Embodied Carbon Action Plan will include reporting on carbon reductions for selected projects
Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) recently released its SE 2050 Embodied Carbon Action Plan (ECAP) for 2022.
University Buildings | May 16, 2022
Yale’s newly renovated Schwarzman Center enriches student campus social life
Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) recently unveiled the design of their restoration of the Schwarzman Center at Yale University, which includes dining spaces, a bar, and a food shop.
K-12 Schools | May 16, 2022
Private faculty offices are becoming a thing of the past at all levels of education
Perkins & Will’s recent design projects are using the area to encourage collaboration.
Codes and Standards | May 16, 2022
AIA releases Justice in the Built Environment guide
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently published a new supplementary edition of the Guides for Equitable Practice, titled “Justice in the Built Environment.”
K-12 Schools | May 16, 2022
A Quaker high school in Maryland is the first in the U.S. to get WELL Gold certification
Designed by Stantec, a Quaker high school is the first in the US to receive WELL Gold certification, which recognizes a commitment to occupants’ health and well-being.
Building Team | May 13, 2022
Glass penthouses rise above Toronto’s tree line
In midtown Toronto, the nine-story midrise building Leaside Common has released its Penthouse Collection: two-floor penthouses that take inspiration from Philip Johnson’s Glass House in Connecticut.
Market Data | May 12, 2022
Monthly construction input prices increase in April
Construction input prices increased 0.8% in April compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today.