flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

IBEW Local 134 Union Hall: Union lights a 'beacon'

Reconstruction Awards

IBEW Local 134 Union Hall: Union lights a 'beacon'

Electrical workers’ local converts an abandoned Chicago school into a brightly lit union hall.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | November 28, 2018
IBEW Local 134

The LED illumination acts as a welcome sign to the community, while calling attention to the IBEW’s professional trade. Paul Schlismann Photography.

Drake elementary school was one of 47 elementary schools decommissioned by Chicago Public Schools in 2014, due to declining student enrollment. The building, constructed in the 1960s in the Bronzeville neighborhood, south of the Loop, attracted the interest of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134, which was looking to move out of its West Side union hall.

The IBEW local brought in Wight & Company, which performed a feasibility study using cloud point laser scanning, structural testing, and geotechnical testing to verify that the school could be transformed into the proposed new use.

The 70,000-sf project involved 48,000 sf of renovation and 22,000 sf of new construction. The structure was heavily reconstructed to accommodate business offices, lounges, conference rooms, a museum, and a rooftop patio. Memorial Hall, the 22,000-sf addition, can seat 1,000 and can be easily reconfigured for events ranging from banquets to training. The addition also houses a gymnasium that is open to local residents.

Sustainability features include architectural overhangs to control solar heat gain, as well as permeable pavers and rain gardens for stormwater detention. And, of course, LED fixtures that connect back to a central lighting system.

Naturally, light plays a key role in the new building. Not only does it represent the union’s trade, it also creates an ambient backdrop at the entry plaza and into the mass of the union hall.

IBEW logos measuring 25 feet in height were printed on the exterior glass and backlit by LED lights. This creates a “firefly” effect to attract community members to the building, now known affectionately as “the Beacon of Bronzeville.”

 

Silver Award Winner

BUILDING TEAM Wight & Company (submitting firm, architect, SE, MEP, CM) International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134 (owner) DETAILS 70,000 sf Total cost $25 million Construction time October 2016 to March 2018 Delivery method Design-build

Related Stories

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 11, 2019

Woolworth Tower Residences: What a view!

The one-time tallest building in the world is now home to an exclusive residential clientele.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 8, 2019

2019 Reconstruction Awards: The 1060 Project at Wrigley Field

Venerable Wrigley Field is raised up in a top-to-bottom restoration that took five years to complete.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 6, 2019

2019 Reconstruction Awards: Betting on a city's future

Can a new resort and casino pump life into a city once renowned as the nation’s arms maker?

Reconstruction Awards | Dec 4, 2018

BD+C's 2018 Reconstruction Award Winners

Cincinnati Music Hall, MASS MoCA Building 6, and 20 Times Square are just a few of the projects recognized as 2018 Reconstruction Award winners.

Reconstruction Awards | Dec 3, 2018

2018 Reconstruction Awards: Honorable mentions

These four projects won honorable mentions in BD+C's 2018 Reconstruction Awards.

Reconstruction Awards | Dec 3, 2018

Elgin Tower: Elgin's heart beats again

A project team brings this Chicago suburb’s landmark tower back to life.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 30, 2018

Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company Building: GC to the rescue

Hawaii’s largest contractor saves one of the state’s prized architectural landmarks—and now calls it home.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 30, 2018

5 Beekman Hotel and Residences: Back in business

A landmark office tower becomes one of N.Y.’s hottest lifestyle hotel destinations.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 29, 2018

700 Constitution: Healthy living

Hospital turned apartment brings luxury living to a D.C. neighborhood – and saves a valued piece of architecture.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 27, 2018

Bedford Square: Revivifying urbanity

A suburban mixed-use redevelopment restores ‘the lost art of living closely.'

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Giants 400

BD+C Awards Programs

Entry information and past winners for Building Design+Construction's two major awards programs: 40 Under 40 and Giants 400



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021