A new research and manufacturing facility opened its Goose Island, Chicago, doors today, the firm behind the building’s design, SOM, announced.
The facility, called the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute, is operated by Chicago-based collaborative UI LABS, which brings together universities, industries, national labs, and civic and government partners to “research, develop, and apply solutions to critical economic and industrial challenges.”
Located near downtown Chicago in the city’s Industrial Corridor, the 64,000-sf facility occupies a portion of an existing 285,000-sf manufacturing building.
©Christopher Barrett
From the architects:
“SOM began by transforming the building’s rear facade, glazing three of the building’s 14 structural bays from floor to ceiling in order to create a welcoming entrance and flood the space with daylight.
“Once inside, visitors step into a double-height open atrium — known as the town hall — which has been fit out as a work, social, and reception space. The town hall leads to a state-of-the-art classroom and a multipurpose room that can hold 75 and 200 people, respectively. These two rooms encourage both formal and informal learning and have been equipped with the technology required for collaboration with off-site partners.
“Behind the town hall lies the heart of the facility: a 22,400-square-foot digital manufacturing floor, a collaborative engineering space, two open workspaces, a cafe/social hub, and permanent staff office, conferencing, and boardroom spaces. Flexibility and visual connectivity underpin the comprehensive design.
“Floor-to-ceiling ultra-transparent glass separates the manufacturing floor from the open workspaces and cafe. This wall visually connects manufacturing activity to the collaboration spaces and helps diffuse daylight from the existing clerestory windows deep into the facility, flooding the interior in natural light.
“Workspaces are programmed to accommodate variation in densities and types of furnishings. Modular workstations and breakout areas are arranged in an open studio setup to foster collaboration, make spatial re-programming simple, and keep sight lines across the facility clear. Staff offices, the boardroom, researchers’ offices, and conferencing areas are similarly flexible.”
©Christopher Barrett
©Christopher Barrett
©Christopher Barrett
Related Stories
Market Data | Jun 12, 2018
Yardi Matrix report details industrial sector's strength
E-commerce and biopharmaceutical companies seeking space stoke record performances across key indicators.
Industrial Facilities | Apr 12, 2018
‘Next generation’ biomanufacturing plant will be the first of its kind in the U.S.
The plant will be located in Rhode Island.
Industrial Facilities | Apr 2, 2018
90,000-sf industrial facility will add needed manufacturing space in West Michigan
Vision Real Estate Investment recently broke ground on the building.
Industrial Facilities | Mar 26, 2018
thyssenkrupp’s new Zhongshan plant includes a high-speed test tower
The 813-foot test tower has 13 shafts.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Feb 7, 2018
Renovations begin on an underground facility that is investigating the nature of dark matter
This LEO A DALY-designed project makes way to produce the world’s most sensitive detector to this point.
Industrial Facilities | Jan 15, 2018
New Dollar General distribution center planned for Longview, Texas
The facility will be the discount retailer’s second in Texas and 17th overall.
Industrial Facilities | Jan 10, 2018
Kraft Heinz meat processing and packaging facility occupies 70 acre plot in Davenport, Iowa
The facility is the first Greenfield construction project for the Kraft Heinz Company since the merging of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Company in 2015.
Giants 400 | Nov 2, 2017
Top 80 industrial construction firms
Walbridge, Jacobs, and Fluor top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest industrial sector contractors and construction management firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Industrial Facilities | Nov 1, 2017
Top 45 industrial engineering firms
AECOM, Fluor, and CRB top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest industrial sector engineering and EA firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 1, 2017
Top 35 industrial architecture firms
Jacobs, Stantec, and BRPH top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest industrial sector architecture and AE firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.