Chicago'sĀ 342,000-sf Cook County Hospital building, completed in 1914, sat vacant since 2002 and had fallen into a severe state of disrepair. The building was under threat of being demolished before SOM led a design-build collaboration for general contractor Walsh Construction, with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, and interior designers KOO, to preserve, restore, and adapt the former hospital building to meet the changing needs of the neighborhood.
The reimagined building now includes a new hotel, a food hall, medical offices, and community spaces and is the first phase of a proposed $1 billion redevelopment plan for the area. The building also includes a museum space that will showcase the important role the hospital played for the city and in the field of medicine.
Ā
Image Ā© Dave Burk | SOM.
Ā
Restoration work focused first on repairing the neoclassical-style exterior by replacing more than 4,500 pieces of terra cotta on the facade. A sliver-thin canopy of steel and glass marks the entrance of the building and replaces a former bulky addition that diminished the integrity of the facade.
Ā
Image Ā© Dave Burk | SOM.
Ā
Interior restoration included restoring the lobby to its original height of 25 feet. Original red terrazzo flooring and ornate Beaux-Arts molding evokes the buildingās original grandeur and contemporary artwork, lighting, and finishes signal a new chapter in the buildingās history.
Ā
See also:Ā SOM-designed waterfront neighborhood will include 1,045-foot-tall tower
Ā
āWe didnāt just want to preserve the old Cook County Hospital--we wanted to bring it back to its former glory, from the facade to the original Beaux-Arts masonry detailing and terra cotta ornamentation,ā saidĀ Brian Lee, SOM Consulting Partner, in a release. āThe restored historic volume and finishes in the main lobby bring the original grand entrance back to life, establishing a new entrypoint for the community.āĀ
Ā
Before and after; top imageĀ Ā© SOM; bottomĀ imageĀ Ā© Dave Burk | SOM.
Ā
The food hall is located to the left of the lobby. It provides a bright and engaging space with 12 local vendors that are primarily women- or minority-owned businesses. Additional amenity spaces include an expansive bar and lounge space with views through restored wood-framed windows.
The hotel takes advantage of the buildingās relatively thin footprint and includes 210 hotel rooms filled with natural light. The rooms include unique layouts with contemporary art and decor. Some of the more unusual spaces within the former hospital, including lofty operating rooms and bands with windows on the eighth floor, were turned into distinctive guest rooms.
Ā
Before and after; top image Ā© Walsh Group; bottom imageĀ Ā© Dave Burk | SOM.
Related Stories
| May 11, 2012
Chapter 8 High-Performance Reconstruction and Historic Preservation: Conflict and Opportunity
What historic preservationists and energy-performance advocates can learn from each other.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 7 When Modern Becomes Historic: Preserving the Modernist Building Envelope
This AIA CES Discovery course explores the special reconstruction questions posed by Modern-era buildings.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 6 Energy Codes + Reconstructed Buildings: 2012 and Beyond
Our experts analyze the next generation of energy and green building codes and how they impact reconstruction.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 5 LEED-EB and Green Globes CIEB: Rating Sustainable Reconstruction
Certification for existing buildings under these two rating programs has overtaken that for new construction.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 4 Business Case for High-Performance Reconstructed Buildings
Five reconstruction projects in one city make a bottom-line case for reconstruction across the country.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 3 How Building Technologies Contribute to Reconstruction Advances
Building Teams are employing a wide variety of components and systems in their reconstruction projects.
| May 9, 2012
Chapter 1 Reconstruction: āThe 99% Solutionā for Energy Savings in Buildings
As a share of total construction activity reconstruction has been on the rise in the U.S. and Canada in the last few years, which creates a golden opportunity for extensive energy savings.
| May 7, 2012
4 more trends in higher-education facilities
Our series on college buildings continues with a look at new classroom designs, flexible space, collaboration areas, and the evolving role of the university library.
| May 3, 2012
NSF publishes ANSI standard evaluating the sustainability of single ply roofing membranes
New NSF Standard provides manufacturers, specifiers and building industry with verifiable, objective criteria to identify sustainable roofing products.
