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Sep, 2021

University of Chicago 1155 Building

The University of Chicago selected TKB to complete a renovation feasibility study on a multilevel midcentury academic building located on the campus’ vibrant Midway Plaisance.   The study was targeted on:

  • Addressing internal organization and efficiency
  • Improving the building’s confusing, uninviting entry sequence,
  • Redesigning the building’s dated façade and underutilized courtyard
  • Recommending improvements to infrastructure and energy efficiency

In the final feasibility study and phased implementation of the interior renovation, , TKB addressed the internal organization and efficiency of the building’s interior spaces. TKB identified overlapping constituencies of academic and community outreach entities, reinforcing existing synergies through the interior redesign. This leveraged the unique 1155 Building characteristics and accommodates both research and instructional activities. Solutions addressed varying group sizes, desired adjacencies, growth potential of the evolving programs, while conserving usable space for future units.

The TKB team’s overall design of the building entry, courtyard and façade took an outside-in approach in developing solutions for the building façade and entry sequence, which will be completed in a future phase of work. Once implemented, the design will enhance the user experience and exterior aesthetics of the aging building.  A new, all-glass lobby and arcade will replace the original austere entrance to warmly welcome visitors. This future exterior modification will give the building appropriate prominence among its architecturally distinguished neighboring buildings.

Aug, 2021

August 2021 – UIUC Ceramics Building

TKB completed improvements to the university’s  historic Ceramics Building. The 1915 Renaissance Revival building is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places; an essential element of the work was preserving the building’s historic features while addressing the necessary improvements.

TKB designed renovations to existing toilet rooms to address life safety updates, and deficits related to accessibility, finishes, lighting, and plumbing. The team added all-gender toilet rooms and increased fixture counts to meet current plumbing codes. The work required the reconfiguration of existing toilet rooms and the addition of adjacent space to meet expanded requirements. TKB selected finishes to be historically compatible and durable.

Original design elements were preserved in public corridors whenever possible and renovated rooms maintained a historically sympathetic approach. The project preserved vintage millwork frames and doors, matching duplicating them where new work was necessary.  New terrazzo in affected public areas matched the original to maintain continuity throughout the historic building.

Jul, 2021

August 2021 – Illinois State Armory Restoration and Renovation

Tilton, Kelly + Bell is currently designing a renovation and restoration for the historic Illinois State Armory building, working for the Illinois Capitol Development Board and with Central Management Services.  The Armory is a 1930’s WPA building in Springfield, Illinois, prominently facing the Illinois State Capitol building.  Planning will be coordinated with the Capital Complex Master Plan, concurrently under development; the State Historical Preservation Office will review preservation efforts.

Vacant for approximately ten years, the Armory presents a deteriorated condition, with considerable water damage from the roof affecting both the interior and the façade, and with outdated systems and condition throughout. The historic multi-story drill hall will be partially restored in a modified version, creating a dramatic core for the building’s future accommodation of 800 state workers.  The original building contained 90,000 square feet of offices in separate vertical towers; current plans will add 96,000 square feet of office space by incorporating a portion of the drill hall volume.  New offices will increase efficiency per state guidelines.

The project work includes a new roof, new skylights, a restored limestone façade, interior and exterior accessibility modifications, and a new circulation pattern and core location.  Comprehensive code and condition updates are required to the architecture and MEP systems throughout, with the goal of providing flexible, functional, and aesthetically pleasing office space to meet current and future needs.

Section through the original Auditorium


HVAC Distribution Diagram

Jun, 2021

June 2021 – Regional Transportation Authority

With TKB as architect, the Regional Transportation Authority consolidated its headquarters in a single 28,000 square foot floor in Chicago. The RTA’s formerly traditional office space standardized on efficient workstations for each employee and takes advantage of the natural light afforded through the building’s interior light court and exterior windows.  Collaborative spaces with accessible technology, large and small, are distributed throughout the floor. The break room, connecting to daylight and the perimeter, can double as a large reconfigurable, all-hands meeting space when sliding glass walls are retracted to join adjacent conference rooms with the break area.

A separate public facing service area, distinct from the Authority’s formal reception entrance, welcomes and accommodates transit riders with special needs.

Signage with photos of RTA commuter stations reinforces the RTA identity and will integrate with the Authority’s collection of transit-based art.

 

June 2021 – UIUC Noyes Laboratory of Chemistry First Floor Renovation

Under its retainer contract with the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, TKB converted an existing unused instructional laboratory at the 1902 Noyes Laboratory building into a new general assignment lecture hall complete with current audio-visual technology. This work required decommissioning the former lab with its abandoned gas piping without disrupting ongoing experiments in nearby labs. To accommodate the new lecture hall, an adjacent faculty office was converted to an equipment room for a new air handling unit with air ducted to the lecture hall.  A second door was added to the lecture hall to accommodate exit requirements for the greater room occupancy, and new AV equipment was integrated into the newly designed lecture hall. 

All work required a sympathetic understanding of the building’s historic character; this was an especial focus for the building exterior and the public areas of the building. Historically accurate replacement windows were installed in corridors and designated classrooms.  Terrazzo floors in stairs and corridors were repaired and replaced to match existing.  Wood doors were restored, and millwork trim matches existing.  New LED lighting and corridor sprinkler heads were installed in the renovation area; the design reflects the original corridor lighting appearance with new technology.

All work was carefully scheduled to coordinate with breaks in the academic calendar. Work is fully executed, and the lecture hall is in high demand.

May, 2021

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Education Building – Elevator Upgrades & Restroom Renovation

As part of TKB’s retainer contract with the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, TKB has completed work on UIUC’s Education Building with an elevator upgrade and restroom renovation. TKB’s work first developed a scope of work that fit within the available funds and priorities by working with the project team’s cost estimator and University’s Facilities and Services Department.  The constructed scope focused on expanding women’s restrooms, the creation of an additional all-gender restroom, and full modernization of both elevators. The building now has fully accessible vertical transportation and renovated, code-compliant accessible women’s and all-gender toilet rooms, meeting current code requirements within a fifty-six-year-old structure. The construction expanded the women’s restroom capacity to better match current student demographics.

Maintaining functional use of the building throughout construction was the most significant project challenge, requiring consecutive modernization of the north and south elevators. Continuous access to an operating elevator and toilet rooms was achieved by overlaying two critical path tracks for long elevator lead times and the toilet room renovations.  One of the men’s restrooms was temporarily converted to women’s use to facilitate simultaneous renovation of all women’s toilet rooms.

May 2021 – City of Chicago, 2 North LaSalle Office Consolidation

A fast-paced City of Chicago project recently relocated and consolidated City offices in the 2 North LaSalle office building in Chicago.  The project right-sized space for City departments, maximizing functionality and efficiency and maintaining daylight access for all employees. The 220,000 square foot office space, spread over eleven floors, delivers a revitalized planning approach with new employee workspace standards matching requirements to job function.  TKB worked with architectural prime Johnson Lasky Kindelin to develop planning and design standards, and to achieve the compressed project timeline.

The project delivers a tailored, open environment with clear circulation and reconfigured storage and services.  Wall graphics showcase historic Chicago history.  Small group huddle rooms provide expanded opportunities for collaborative teaming and quiet work, and large conference rooms dispersed on each floor offer flexibility and updated audiovisual capability.   Breakrooms are designed for multiple modes of interaction in creative, colorful spaces.  The project blends new and reused furniture into a cohesive whole.

Designed to meet LEED Silver requirements, the project provides the City with modernized offices featuring newly efficient lighting, more daylight access, and greater collaborative space – all delivered within a modest budget.

May 2021 – University of Illinois and Urbana Champaign Education Building

Renovation on the University of Illinois’s Education Building on the Urbana Champaign campus bring much-needed updates to building services in a fifty-six-year-old structure.  The project replaced aging elevators and renovated toilet rooms to new accessibility and diversity standards.  TKB’s work first developed a scope of work to fit within the available funds and priorities, reviewing potential scope models with the project team’s cost estimator and University’s Facilities and Services Department.  The final scope focused on expanding women’s restrooms, creating a new all-gender toilet room, and replacing both building elevators in phased construction. Vertical transportation is now fully accessible and updated, and the new women’s and all-gender toilet rooms are code-compliant, accessible, and better matched to current student demographics.

Maintaining functional use of the building throughout construction was the most significant project challenge, requiring consecutive modernization of the north and south elevators. Continuous access to an operating elevator and toilet rooms was achieved by overlaying two critical path tracks for long elevator lead times and the toilet room renovations.

May 2021 – City of Chicago, 2 North LaSalle Office Consolidation

TKB has completed its work on a fast-paced City of Chicago office consolidation project. The project allowed the City of Chicago to right size its space to meet its current and future requirements. The approximately 220,000 square foot office space, spread over eleven floors, includes ample shared meeting spaces, more huddle rooms and fewer private offices, and offices that are efficiently designed for function.  The projects consolidates City offices from multiple locations.

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Small group huddle rooms are embedded into departments to enhance collaborative teaming and to accommodate video calls and quiet work.  All floors have large conference rooms with updated audiovisual capability and break rooms for informal gathering, and there is a shared conference center for larger events and receptions.  Access to daylight is emphasized for all employees.  The project mixes new and reused furniture: conference room, workstation, and office furniture is new – fitted to the updated standards – while existing storage components are primarily reused.

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Designed to meet LEED Silver requirements, the project provides the City with modernized offices featuring newly efficient lighting, more daylight access, and greater collaborative space, all delivered within a modest budget.  TKB was a subconsultant to Johnson Lasky Kindelin on this project.

To see more photos of this project, click here.

 

Apr, 2021

TKB Newsletter – April 23rd, 2021 – Returning to Work: Redesigning the office Post-Covid

For the past year, remote working has become the “norm” for many, resulting in many major shake ups in how business is conducted. With numerous Covid vaccines now available, the serious questions are ‘how do we return to the workspace safely?’ and ‘what will be different?’. To answer, we must first look at how Working From Home and the pandemic have changed priorities and opinions about the workplace.

Remote working and WFH have significantly accelerated the shift from a workplace-centric to a workercentric approach, away from cost-revenue based designs aimed at getting the most workstations per square foot to designs meant to enhance the overall employee experience. Worker safety is the top priority. Safety factors include air quality and filtration, safety procedures, overall office cleanliness, and density; these are key factors in providing a sense of security that promotes worker well-being, happiness, and productivity. Equally important, employees are looking for a sense of belonging, community, and productive purpose; it matters whether the work they are completing from their living room desk is meaningful and  contributes to a broader goal.  While promoting safety from Covid, WFH has numerous downsides. Workers may struggle with a sense of isolation and disconnection from social engagement, collaboration, and productivity

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What do these priorities and concerns mean for the office? They present us with an opportunity to re-examine and re-design the workspace in a fundamental way. As architects, we are freed to creatively design for safe, flexible office plans that promote productivity and a shared sense of community whether in-person or remote. Hybrid offices allowing for both in-person and remote access are evolving. The primary function of the office may shift to a collaborative space, while individual desks would serve as plug-in stations and resource access. With the increased shift to remote-work,  hoteling will increase, freeing up space and costs, allowing for ever- greater focus on improvements that promote seamless collaborative communication. A successful office will be flexible, multipurpose and multi-modal. The act of working no longer occurs in a specific place; offices will reflect and further facilitate this change.


ARTICLES & RESOURCES

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/01/has-the-pandemic-transformed-the-office-forever

https://www.steelcase.com/research/topics/work-better/

https://www.hermanmiller.com/research/categories/white-papers/whats-the-future-of-the-office/

https://www.allsteeloffice.com/insights/blog/rethinking-administrative-workplace

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2021/01/24/what-people-want-what-leaders-get-wrong-and-how-to-be-more-right/

https://allwork.space/2021/01/future-of-work-from-a-workplace-centric-to-a-worker-centric-world/

https://fortune.com/2021/01/31/how-offices-will-change-after-coronavirus-return-to-office-after-covid-19/

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/covid19-coronavirus-change-office-work-homeworking-remote-design/

https://www.facilitiesnet.com/green/article/Creating-Healthy-Workplaces-Means-Promoting-Happiness–19158

https://facilityexecutive.com/2021/01/post-pandemic-workplace-bright-light-plant-filled/

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