Civic
Respecting architect Eero Saarinen’s original design was critical in the renovation of the Law School’s courtyard and reflecting pool. The resulting design features a quarter-inch thick sheet of water covering a field of granite pavers, which in the summer mirrors the sky and D’Angelo Law Library, and in the winter serves as a stone plaza. Key to the design is a perfectly flat granite surface, where the water can upwell and flow over it at low velocities, giving the impression of still water. In fact, the water in the fountain is filtered, treated, and circulated regularly throughout the day. As the engineer of record, WCL designed the supporting plumbing, fountain, and electrical systems.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Client: The University of Chicago
Landscape Architect: Wolff Landscape Architects
Awards: Illinois Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects President’s Award
Photo courtesy of William Kildow Photography
An historic public beach house built in the 1920s was rehabilitated by the Chicago Park District after having been abandoned and fallen into severe disrepair for many years. As the MEP engineering consultant, we received an Illinois Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award and a National ASLA Merit Award for Design.
A new lighting system and interactive fountain were key elements of the renovation. The design of the interactive fountain is reminiscent of a carousel. Lights, music, and rotating water arches reaching ten feet in height are arranged in three concentric rings to simulate the experience of a carousel ride. At the center of the fountain is a water maze.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Client: Chicago Park District, Max Schiff Trust
Landscape Architect: Wolff Landscape Architects
The Gold Star Families Memorial and Park
The Gold Star Families Memorial and Park was developed on a five-acre site in Chicago’s lakefront Museum Campus. It honors the life and memory of Chicago police officers who have died in the line of duty.
The design consists of four principal outdoor spaces connected by a curvilinear walkway. At the heart of the memorial is a circular outdoor room defined by a curving wall inset with a black granite band inscribed with the names of the officers who have sacrificed their lives.
WCL was retained as the project electrical engineer, with responsibility for the lighting, electrical, and fountain designs.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Client: Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, Chicago Park District
Landscape Architect: Wolff Landscape Architects
Awards: Illinois Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award
Skyspace, designed by James Turrell, is a freestanding enclosed elliptical chamber built as part of the creation of the South Campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago. From inside the structure, one can view the changing sky through an opening in the roof. Ring-shaped neon lights near the opening constantly change with the ambient light.
Turrell’s work, in his own words, “is about space and the light that inhabits it. It is about how you confront that space and plumb it. It is about your seeing”. Weber Consultants helped to translate that vision into a biddable, constructible project utilizing theatrical lighting control, neon, and LED sources.
A waterwall fountain cascades along the Skyspace exterior, and an adjacent plaza fountain is illuminated by submerged, programmed, LED light fixtures.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Client: University of Illinois at Chicago