A New Chapter for Chicago’s Near North Side
This time of year – thanks to Valentine’s Day – we see and hear a lot about LOVE. At ATMI Precast we give, receive, and spread love in a bunch of different ways. One of our biggest loves is working with a solid team on an award-winning project. We’ve done it before – and we’re thrilled to say, we’ve done it again!
ATMI Precast is honored to have won a 2021 PCI Design Award for our work on 1200 Clybourn. The building was selected as “Best Multi-Family Building.”
ATMI Precast Takes Housing Project to Best Multi-Family Building
Our ATMI Precast team worked with general contractor McShane Construction and architect Pappageorge Haymes Partners to make 1200 Clybourn a reality. Once upon a time, Chicago’s Near North Side was once home to Cabrini Green. In 2000, the Chicago Housing Authority began demolishing those towers and replacing them with more modern, durable, and family-friendly homes.
The latest addition to this transformation is Clybourn 1200, a 157,000-ft2 mixed-use, mixed-income redevelopment project that leverages precast concrete to provide a resilient, sustainable living and working space for the entire community.
A New Chapter for the North Side
The new design uses precast concrete to create a book-shaped massing for the seven-story building featuring an acute angle to fit the nontraditional infill site. The “spine” of the book, which is located at the narrowest point on the lot, includes full-height glazing with a steel and glass canopy providing a backdrop.
The exterior panels and columns use different planes of relief with features that are either light acid-washed or sandblasted and, with the exception of selected accent areas that are stained dark, the surface is untreated. Window units punctuated with bright contrasting color and alternating orientation from floor to floor play up movement in the elevation and reduce the building mass. The glassy, open base, accented by contrasting colored precast concrete piers and banding accents, provides an active and engaging street presence.
The team at Pappageorge Haymes Partners chose a single precast concrete system and provider for the structure and enclosure to achieve cost and time efficiencies with a durable and attractive solutions. They gained many benefits by combining structural and architectural elements, adds Mike Walsh of ATMI. “We were able to fabricate architectural components that act as the exterior load-bearing frame for the building,” he said.
“It does not look like a precast concrete structure at the first glance,” Walsh adds. “The colors are very vibrant and accented with depth of structure, and you have to look hard to see the subtle differences.”
About the Award
The PCI Design Awards program recognizes design excellence and construction quality using precast concrete. This awards program helps to showcase innovative and advanced technology and ideas. Three jury panels consisting of architects, engineers, and precast concrete producers selected a total of 28 winners and 12 honorable mentions this year. All winning projects and teams will be showcased at the 2021 PCI Convention, May 18-22, in New Orleans.
Our true love is creating functional, sustainable, and beautiful spaces – and it’s nice to be recognized for our efforts!
Are you planning your next project? Contact us today. We’d love to work with you!
