Yearly Archives: 2023

Oct, 2023

IL DOT Construction Materials Lab

2024-11-26T13:13:34-06:00

In the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Springfield campus, TKB recently developed the requirements for a new design-build project working with the CDB and IDOT input.

The new building will house specialized materials testing laboratories for IDOT along with associated offices. The building will be divided into the state materials testing headquarters, and a district location with independent functionality.  Proximity of offices to laboratories by employee responsibilities is an important intention for the project. Daylight is critical to some of the laboratories, and all of them require high bay clearance and careful material moving capabilities.

Detailed project requirements are captured in bridging documents completed by the TKB project team and approved by IDOT and the CDB.   The CDB is now using these bridging documents as the project basis as they interview potential design-build teams; TKB has assisted with the interviewing effort. TKB will continue to work with the CDB and IDOT as the project design and construction progress, providing oversight to assure compliance with the bridging documents.

IL DOT Construction Materials Lab2024-11-26T13:13:34-06:00

Jan, 2023

TKB 2022 – Year in Review

2024-11-26T13:13:34-06:00

Winter 2022

During 2022, TKB welcomed six total additions to the architectural and interior design staff and said a fond good-bye to TKB Senior Interior Designer Paula McKendry, who retired in May after 22 years with the firm.  

A headline project for the year was TKB’s design for the Illinois Capitol Development Board’s multi-phase renovation of the Illinois State Armory. Construction will include literally raising the roof on the vintage building to modify it from its original purpose to create more than 200,000 SF of office space. TKB closed out the year with the first, stabilization phase of the project awarded to Williams Brothers Construction.  Stabilization work at the historic building will begin during the new year. Meanwhile, the TKB team continues to develop plans to preserve and highlight the 1930’s historic features for the 800 State employees who will call the Armory home when renovations are complete.

In other work, the TKB team began the Capitol Development Board and the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Bridging Documents for a new building to consolidate office and labs for IDOT’s Construct Materials Lab in Springfield, Illinois. The TKB team has worked diligently to program and document facility needs.  In addition to administrative offices, the focus is on laboratory processes requiring specialized testing environments.   Flow of materials, workflow and spatial adjacencies were overlaid to create conceptual diagrams, address individual laboratory technical needs, and develop scope specifications for the future Design-Build team.

For the Chicago Public School District, the TKB team continued its long-time retainer work at six local schools, including four Pre-K classroom renovations and two re-roofing projects. 

TKB also provided continued design services for the GSA across the six-state Region 5, including a feasibility study incorporating long term planning and analysis of space use to support changes in employee work patterns for the federal Railroad Retirement Board headquartered in Chicago. The study results, combined with real estate and cost information provided by the GSA, will be sent to Congress as a portion of Railroad Retirement Board’s funding request to consolidate space use.

Building on its healthcare experience, TKB advised Harvard, Illinois’ Community Health Partnership in the expansion of an existing not-for-profit clinic.  The project was the beneficiary of multiple grants, one of which funded the creation of an isolation room with separate entry and mechanical isolation to treat patients with highly communicable illnesses.

At the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, TKB continued to close out projects from its initial four-year retainer contract with the University.  Projects included renovations in the Psychology Laboratory building and a Feasibility Study for the Ethnic, Women and Gender Studies departments at the University. The new year will begin the second retainer contract with UIUC; the first task orders under the new contract will be the renovation of the Andean Gallery and a Feasibility Study for Student Success Inclusion and Belonging, documenting future needs for three new buildings, and considering the entire University neighborhood where these buildings will be sited.

In the corporate world, TKB maintains its excellence in office design strategies, and is advising two clients of more than twenty years standing on their facility approaches to new employee work patterns.  Analysis from the public sector and knowledge from the corporate world inform each other in TKB’s knowledge base and analysis.

The TKB team continues to grow, with strong project skills and increased diversity to more than 50% minority staff while maintaining over 50% female staff.  Tilton, Kelly + Bell approaches 2023 with enthusiasm and engagement in the changing world.

TKB 2022 – Year in Review2024-11-26T13:13:34-06:00

Illinois DoT Construct Materials Lab

2024-11-26T13:13:34-06:00

Winter 2023

TKB is finalizing design-build bridging documents for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) in association with the Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB). Located on 6.5 acres within the IDOT Hanley campus, the 76,500 SF, LEED Silver building will be home to new materials laboratories, shipping, receiving and materials storage, training centers, library, and associated technical and administrative offices for 120 personnel from Central Bureau of Materials, Bureau of Programming, Bureau of Research and District 6. Laboratory functions will relate to testing of construction materials associated with roadways and technical labs for Traffic Instrumentation, Metals & Miscellaneous Products, Nuclear Diagnostics and Materials Chemistry.

Throughout the process, TKB’s team has worked closely with IDOT and CDB to identify comprehensive facility needs and requirements.  Data will be assembled into the bridging documents including design criteria, LEED criteria, detailed design narratives, facility program, detailed room data sheets, spatial adjacencies, equipment requirements, and conceptual designs that will serve as the design-build team’s basis for the design and construction of the final project. 

Illinois DoT Construct Materials Lab2024-11-26T13:13:34-06:00
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