Erie on the Park — Chicago

Development Team
OWNER/DEVELOPER: Smithfield Properties, Chicago
ARCHITECT: Lucien Lagrange Architects, Chicago
CONTRACTOR: Wooton Construction, Chicago
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers, Chicago
MECHANICAL ENGINEER: Advance Mechanical Systems, Mount Prospect, Ill.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: Innovative Building Concepts, Northbrook, Ill.
STEEL FABRICATOR: Zalk Josephs Fabricators, Stoughton, Wis.
STEEL ERECTION: Area Erectors, Wheeling, Ill.
CURTAIN WALL AND WINDOW INSTALLATION: Trainor Glass, Alsip, Ill.

Erie on the Park, a striking steel and glass building, rises from a distinctly urban setting of red brick, mid-rise buildings in Chicago's River North neighborhood. This area is being transformed from light industrial use to residential.

The parallelogram-shaped tower is fashioned to follow the form of its 10,000-sq.-ft. site, which is tucked between existing commercial buildings and sits on abandoned railroad tracks. The parking structure sits on an adjacent, 9,000-sq.-ft. site connected to the building by an enclosed bridge spanning an alley.

Quick Switch to Steel

Erie on the Park was originally conceived as a concrete building, but construction bids did not allow this approach.

As a result, the design team and developer returned to the drawing board and reconceived the project in steel.

The steel frame afforded several design advantages:

• Large, clear span spaces permitted open plans unencumbered by the additional columns inherent in concrete construction.
• The use of steel chevron bracing, instead of concrete sheer walls, allowed flexibility in unit layout and provided a unique element in units with bracing members. Twenty-four different unit plans were created, each distinctly suited to a particular market.
• The steel framing allows for floor-to-ceiling windows providing expansive views of the city skyline, river, two nearby parks and the neighborhood.
• Construction costs were reduced and the project's schedule was shortened due to the time savings in erecting a steel fame compared with cast-in-place concrete.
  

The jury said, "This is a landmark building for Chicago. It has a refined, elegant look that the exposed steel brings out. Chicago architecture at one time was a mecca for modern design. There has been a shift to retro over the past few years. This building sets the precedent for a return to modern architecture. It is set in a difficult urban area, and it sold out in three weeks. Very nice scale."

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