Midwest Wins Big in Green Roof Contest

Three of seven awards went to Midwest projects and organizations as part green roof awards announced by the Toronto-based Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.

Green Roof Awards of Excellence celebrate projects that are holistically designed and provide benefits in terms of the function of the building, its relation to the site and surrounding community. The Midwest winners were the following:

• Extensive Industrial/Commercial category: Calamos Investments project, Naperville; Intrinsic Landscaping Inc, Glenview, winner.

Investment manager Calamos was interested in a green roof as an alternative to conventional roofing. The firm judged that a green roof would be a good choice to replace the ballast rock-covered roof surrounding its tenth floor rooftop patio.

• Intensive Industrial/Commercial category: ABN AMRO Plaza sixth floor podium project, Chicago; Barrett Co., Millington, N.J., winner.

The green roof and terrace areas on the 6th floor podium of the ABN AMRO Plaza were built primarily for the enjoyment of employees. The roof has 50% green roof and 50% pavers and plantings which are a mix of trees, perennial plants and annual flowers in planters of mixed heights.

• The Civic Award of Excellence category: city of Minneapolis; council member Lisa Goodman, winner.

Goodman has led the city’s efforts to promote green roofs on a number of fronts.
The other four winners were outside the Midwest. For more information, visit www.greenroofs.net on the Internet.

Saint Xavier’s Rubloff Hall Turns Green into Gold

Saint Xavier University is the first college building in Illinois to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold designation for one of its buildings from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Xavier received the LEED Gold designation for Arthur Rubloff Hall, the newest residence hall on its Chicago campus.

The university incorporated a number of green strategies to protect the Earth’s natural resources into the building’s construction.

Dedicated in October, the 88-bed residence hall increases students’ awareness of environmental issues and encourages a collective mindset to make the preservation of our planet a greater priority. Amenities include carpeting made of recycled plastics, a roof with 1,000 sq ft of low-maintenance plants for heating and cooling retention and toilets with two flush modes—one for liquids and one for solids.

Rubloff Hall’s state-of-the-art ventilation system improves indoor air quality and helps reduce the spread of germs. A carbon dioxide detection system can tell if a room is occupied and adjusts airflow accordingly. The building’s environmentally friendly design earned it a $90,400 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation.

Lucien Lagrange Announces First Lincoln Park High-Rise

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.

Midwest Leads Nation in April Architecture Billings

The Midwest led the nation in April with the highest Architecture Billings Index national, the American Institute of Architects announced.

A score above 50 indicates an increase in billings, and the ABI rating was 54.9 in the Midwest.

The next highest scores were in the West (54.0), South (52.2) and Northeast (49.3). Nationwide, the ABI was 52.7, nearly identical to the 52.6 mark in March.

With an approximate nine- to 12-month lag 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.

“We have had positive conditions all five months of the year so far,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker.

Sector index breakdown was institutional (56.1), commercial / industrial (55.2), residential (50.8) and mixed practice (47.9).

Indiana’s Schmidt Tops For Best Places to Work

Indianapolis-based Schmidt Associates, an architecture firm, took top honors in the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s Best Places to Work in Indiana program.

Best Places to Work honorees were selected on the basis of employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys. Schmidt was the top firm statewide in the small to medium-sized company category.

Wayne Schmidt founded Schmidt Associates nearly 31 years ago, and the firm has grown to 90 employees.

Schmidt has pledged to his staff to meet payroll, obtain the “right” projects, allow employees to do good work, provide for career growth and act with integrity.

In promoting career growth, Schmidt Associates offers “Schmidt Academy,” an onsite continuing education program that offers courses related to the company’s four distinct career tracks, with 10 classes available for each group.

The company also promotes a culture of taking time to have fun, with Indianapolis Colts spirit days, dressing up for Halloween and yearly chili cook-offs.

Elegant Lincoln Park Renovations Garner Good Neighbor Awards

Two 2007 Good Neighbor Awards went to Chicago-based Peak Development for the renovations of two residential buildings in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Prior to renovation, the rundown building at 646 W. Wellington Ave. decreased the value and aesthetics of the surrounding neighborhood. The renovation produced eight luxury condominiums while preserving the 80-year old structure’s original charm.
In addition to extensive indoor renovation, an overgrown, neglected yard was turned into a gated parking area for residents. The renovation has already helped increase the value of existing nearby homes.

At the second address, 2246 N. Burling St., the existing building’s condition required extensive renovation, including widening and underpinning the entire original structure. Each floor level had to be completed separately before work on the next level could begin.

Peak faced an additional challenge in transporting materials to and from site, as parking in the neighborhood was scarce to say the least.  Nonetheless, the integrity of the original façade was maintained while beautifying the lot and structure in a complimentary style.

The Good Neighbor Awards, an annual awards banquet hosted by the Chicago Association of Realtors, recognizes properties throughout Chicago that have positively impacted their surrounding communities.

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.