Second City No. 1 in Green Roofs for Second Straight Year

For the second year in a row, Chicago is tops when it comes to green roofs.
Toronto-based Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, found the Second City is No. 1 nationwide when it comes to implementing square feet of green roofs.

Chicago has 1 million sq ft of green roofs planted and another 2 million sq ft in development.

Three other Midwest cities scored high in green roofs, too: Kansas City, Mo. (No. 5), Milwaukee (No. 7) and Columbus, Ohio (No. 10).

Green Roofs, the North American green roof industry association, recently announced the results from its Second Annual Industry Survey of Corporate members' completed green roof projects in 2006.

The survey found a growth rate of more than 25% over 2005, representing more than 3 million sq ft installed in 2006. For intensive green roofs that typically incorporate larger plants, the growth rate was 110% in 2006.

"The green roof industry is growing rapidly in response to the pressing need for cleaner air, better storm water management, improved energy efficiency and more usable green space in our communities," said Steven Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs. "Green roofs deliver more public and private benefits than any other green building technology, so we anticipate that strong growth will continue into the future."

This 2006 Top Ten Cities List by total square footage installed is the following:

1. Chicago
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Wildwood Crest, N.J.
4. Dulles, Va.
5. Kansas City, Mo.
6. Phoenix
7. Milwaukee
8. New York
9. Portland, Ore.
10. Columbus, Ohio

Green roof infrastructure involves the use of technologies that incorporate drainage/filtering systems, quality waterproofing, root-repellency, engineered growing media and plants.

The benefits of green roofs include a reduction in storm water run-off, better heat and sound insulation, energy savings, improved air quality and reduction in the urban heat island. Other benefits include increased park space, improved aesthetics, community gardening and biodiversity.

49-Story Condo Proposed for Evanston

A 49-story, 523-ft-tall condominium tower has been proposed for north suburban Evanston.

The project would be constructed on the block bounded by Church, Orrington and Sherman avenues, said Justin Pelej, project manager of
Northfield-based Focus Development, a member of the joint venture involving Focus and Klutznick Fisher Development Co. proposing the project.

The concrete-supported building would hold about 218 residences, he said.

Though a project cost has not been released, the cost per square foot would range around $350 to $400.

Chicago-based Booth Hansen is the architect for the proposed structure.
Summer 2008 is the anticipated ground-breaking for the tower, Pelej said.

If built, the tower would be the tallest in Chicago's suburbs, eclipsing the Oakbrook Terrace Tower west of the city.

The Chicago Spire Receives Approval from City Council

Dublin-based Shelbourne Development Group Inc. has announced that the 160-story Chicago Spire received approval from the Chicago City Council.

The action follows approval from both the City Council Planning Commission and the Zoning Committee in April.

Studio Gang to Design College Media Center

Columbia College Chicago has announced Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects will design a media production center.

Studio Gang, which is led by Jeanne Gang, was chosen from an initial field of 29 firms. In December, the field was narrowed to four finalist firms: Helfand Architecture of New York, Morphosis of Los Angeles, Brininstool + Lynch and Studio Gang, both of Chicago.

A commitment to sustainable design was an important element in the search and selection.

The Columbia Media Production Center will be an approximately 40,000-sq-ft facility featuring two sound stages, a motion-capture studio and an animation lab and will further serve to enliven an area of the city that has enjoyed a recent boom in residential growth.

The MPC is proposed to be built at the southwest corner of 16th and State streets on a vacant lot owned by the city. The land sale to Columbia, allowing for the construction of the facility, must be approved by the Community Development Commission and the City Council.

In Memoriam: Eli Cohen, Structural Engineering Pioneer

Eli Cohen, 80, a structural engineering pioneer who helped forge the Chicago skyline and founded the consulting firm that became the Thornton Tomasetti Chicago office, died recently at his home in Evanston. He had been a leading member of the Chicago engineering community since the mid-1950s.

Cohen worked closely with leading developers-such as the John Buck Co., U.S. Equities, The Prime Group, Mesirow Stein, Hines, and LR Development-and with world-renowned designers including Helmut Jahn, Philip Johnson, Tadao Ando, Cesar Pelli and Ricardo Bofill.

Born in Germany in 1927, he and his family fled the country under Nazi rule and moved to Palestine in 1935. After high school, he served as a communications officer in the Haganah, fighting for Israeli Independence in 1948.

Cohen moved to the United States in 1953 and received his civil engineering degree in 1955 from the University of Illinois. He briefly worked on bridges for the Illinois Division of Highways. He joined Paul Rogers Associates, a structural engineering firm in Chicago, became a partner in 1965, then president and principal of Cohen-Barreto-Marchertas in 1969. In 1993, CBM merged with Thornton Tomasetti.

The Chicago ACE Mentor Program will be awarding a college scholarship in honor of Eli Cohen. In addition, the first scholarship to be given by the Thornton Tomasetti Foundation will be made in Eli Cohen's name, said Dan Cuoco, Thornton Tomasetti president, at the firm's annual meeting.

Donations may be made to the ACE Mentor Program of Illinois, Eli W. Cohen Scholarship Fund, Attn: Kathleen Fanning, c/o DeStefano + Partners, 445 E. Illinois St., Suite 250, Chicago IL 60611, or Ms. Pat O'Connell at 847-328-7818 and poc99@comcast.net.

Midwest No. 2 in March For Architecture Billings

The Midwest has typically been last over the previous year in architecture billings, but was No. 2 in the nation in March.

The March Architecture Billings Index, an economic indicator of construction activity compiled by the American Institute of Architects, was 52.6 in the Midwest, the second-best in the nation after the South's 54.8. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.

Nationwide, the March Architecture Billings Index was virtually identical to the February figure-52.6 vs. 52.5, respectively.

With an approximate nine- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending, and significant inquiry levels for new projects this news continues a forecast that remains favorable for the nonresidential construction market throughout 2007.

Sector index breakdown was as follows: institutional (54.8), mixed practice (52.7), residential (52.0) and commercial / industrial (51.7).

Cherie Claussen Gets Wisconsin's Golden Award

Architect Cherie Claussen was recently selected to receive the 2007 Golden Award from AIA Wisconsin.

She is being recognized for her distinguished leadership and service, the AIA said. It cited her contributions as a leader of the organization, her mentoring of emerging professionals and her being an advocate of member participation in the AIA.

The Golden Award is the highest honor that the Wisconsin chapter can confer on a member architect.

The first Golden Award was presented in 1986. Claussen is the 20th architect to receive the honor.

Claussen is principal/vice president and regional office director of the 120-person Milwaukee office of Minneapolis-based HGA Architects and Engineers. As a principal and medical planner, her project responsibilities include medical, skilled nursing and laboratory facilities throughout the Midwest.