The conversion of the previous 521-key Holiday Inn Chicago into the second “voco” branded hotel in the United States was a drastic yet successful undertaking. The 10-story hotel sits at the convergence of the two rivers in the heart of downtown Chicago.

The transformation touched all aspects of the hotel, including 15K SF of public and amenity space, 23K SF of meeting and ballroom space, pool, fitness center, heart of house areas, guestrooms and corridors, life safety, accessibility, and base building upgrades. A large emphasis was placed on redeveloping the atmosphere of the public areas to align with the elevated “voco-led” design – IHG’s new upscale lifestyle brand – particularly the lobby, all common areas, restaurant, bar, and marketplace, as well as the 521 guestrooms.

Undertaking an enormous hotel renovation during a global pandemic was a bet not only on the hospitality industry recovering, but specifically how an emerging brand would succeed in the Chicago market.

To increase the quality of our work and the efficiency of our crews, Walsh implemented a three-part process when it came to work planning during the project. These three aspects were subcontractor input, engineering assistance, and user training. Input from subcontractors aided in formulating plans to shutoff sprinkler valves in the time of emergency. Scaffold planning had to be incorporated due to the logistical problems cause by the hotel’s massive atrium. Through this planning, the quality of work increased, the tradesmen became more efficient, and the work was completed safely knowing the plan in place. A multitude of trainings for the crews were available such as scaffold use and fire sprinkler damage trainings.

Voco was a unique project, as it had a strong female presence. Decision making roles were largely held by females who were on the staff of Ownership, Design and Procurement. Walsh also made a priority partnering with many subcontractors who were female led. We were fortunate to have female owners, project managers, accountants, safety professionals and even craft workers. Walsh was able to celebrate this project by hosting a Women in Construction event where these members were honored, and more awareness was brought to industry.

Safety on the voco project was of the highest importance. Walsh was proud to report that they had a 0% incidence rate throughout the duration of the project. To help keep the project incident free, the Walsh team routinely reached out to their regional safety managers to review work. Walsh held their annual safety week onsite – engaging crews in activities that connected safety themes to real onsite day-to-day hazards. Craft leadership walks consisted of Walsh employees mentoring craft apprentices on a host of safety concepts.

Restoration of the Grand Army of the Republic Rooms restored three rooms within the Chicago Cultural Center. The scope included the careful removal of the overpaint to reveal original decorative finishes scheme; conservation of the original finishes after exposure; replication of areas of non-historic finishes to match the original; conservation of the exposed original gilded finishes on ornamental surfaces; inpainting of patches to the Tennessee Pink marble walls; cleaning and dutchman repairs to Vermont Green marble, restoration of the 40′ 62,000-piece stained glass dome and installation of new exterior skylight. Monumental cast iron frame window restoration/new glass. Historic wood door and door hardware restoration. Replication of historic bronze light fixtures. MEP upgrades.

Meticulous attention to detail was paid to every element with an extensive quality control program in place to uphold the standards of excellence established by the project team. The project presented many unique challenges including conservation and repairs to the original paint and gilded finishing. The team completed preliminary mock-ups of the historic paint finishes prior to construction and was able to utilize conservation techniques to meticulously uncover the original paint and gilded finishes to bring the space back to its original grandeur. Historic photos and drawings were utilized in the replication of the long-lost bronze light fixtures. Berglund’s creative team of logistics and scaffold experts devised innovative solutions to achieve the desired repairs with minimal disruption to daily operations, including crane picks for scaffold and new monumental window glass.

Preserving our cultural heritage enriches our communities, particularly at the Chicago Cultural Center, which is a rare masterpiece that is free and open to the public. Originally built to house Chicago’s first central public library, the Chicago Cultural Center remains a space for the public, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the Chicago Cultural Center every year, making it one of the most visited attractions in Chicago. The stunning landmark building provides free music, dance and theater events, films, lectures, art exhibitions and family events. The team exceeded all diversity inclusion requirements for the project.

During course of construction neither Berglund nor our subcontractors recorded a lost time accident.

932 West Randolph is a partial demolition and core-and-shell renovation of an existing 3-story building in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. The former 16,428 sf. building occupied MB Financial Bank. Demolition consists of removing the existing façade back to the building’s steel structure, including removing stairs and an existing elevator. The existing structural elements were reused as part of the new construction. The new façade includes brick veneer with metal stud backup, concealed masonry supports, new curtainwall, metal panel and EIFS systems. New construction consists of composite deck floor construction, steel column and beam structure. The design includes retail space on level one and office space on levels two and three with a new total gross area of 32,407 sf. Interior buildout includes new stairs, elevator, bathrooms, a rooftop terrace, upgraded electrical service, and MEP equipment. Construction was executed with a zero safety incidents.

The focus on quality began in the design process. The OKW team utilized Faro 3D laser scanner to scan the existing conditions to incorporate unique conditions into their drawings. Consultants such as Illinois Masonry Institute and Thornton Tomasetti were brought on to review the in-progress drawings and provide input on how to adjust details to ensure the enclosure was weather tight and designed for constructibility. Prior to the start of the enclosure, a full on-site mock up was constructed to detail the multiple transitions between the various facade elements. BIM coordination was utilized to maximize the clearance height and minimize the area needed for mechanicals to maximize the retail area. Throughout construction, manufacturer representatives for the air/water vapor barrier and roofing completed site inspections to confirm that installation was completed per their requirements and recommendations. Testing agents (Quast and Flood Testing) were brought in ensure that the concrete, steel welds, spray fireproofing, roofing and windows were exceeding the project requirements.

During the design phase, the OKW team worked closely with West Central Association (WCA), West Loop Community Organization (WLCO) and Neighbors of West Loop (NOWL), as well as a close collaboration with Chicago Landmarks. as the project is located on the historically protected Fulton-Randolph Market District. Through the construction phase, the Walsh team worked to bring on M/WBE Subcontractors and successfully partnered with multiple minority contractors achieving 27%MBE and 5.7%WBE participation for the job buyout. The Walsh team also organized a pre-apprentice program in which they brought in a local resident who had interest in joining the construction industry. The program allows individuals to shadow and interact with all of the different trades, with the intent to assisting them in finding a desired career path. The pre-apprentice on 932 W. Randolph chose to join Toro Construction at the end of the job, who was working as the drywall subcontractor.

The project is proud of a zero incident completion. The location of the site (Randolph & Sangamon) presented the challenge of working near a heavy amount of pedestrians walking adjacent to the project. Consistent communication with the neighbors aided in our efforts to complete the project as safely as possible. The project team’s focus was staying involved with the trades workers and empowering each worker onsite. Programs were implemented such as Craft Leadership in Safety that involved direct meetings between the project managers and nominated members of each trade to provide input on how to make the job safer. The “Good Catch” Program rewarded individuals who stepped up and say something about a safety with gift cards. Spare a Pair program was also in practice, as each member of the Walsh team carried extra safety glasses to be able to have one to hand out if someone did not have a pair. In addition to PPE, the project team enforced the use of tool lanyards to ensure that items did not have the potential to fall off onto the adjacent sidewalk, and platform ladders were solely used to eliminate the ability for trades to stand on the top step of the ladder.

The adaptive reuse of the interior renovation and exterior improvement, allows the facility to meet many of the needs identified in the NSSRA Strategic Plan. The facility provides a safe, enriching headquarters for the NSSRA participants and staff while expanding capacity. The first-floor Great Room is able to accommodate up to 250 people and is divisible into three separate recreation rooms. Additional recreation rooms dedicated to fitness and art are available on the second floor along with administrative offices. The renovation included the conversion of the kitchen to a fully accessible programmable learning space.

The facility parking lot and entry area underwent changes to provide visitors with a fully accessible, and welcoming experience. The front courtyard is a spacious outdoor lounge extension with shaded seating, gardening, and space for small events. Significant changes to the parking lot improved circulation and safety with additional ADA parking stalls, a designated drop-off/pick-up hub, a new lighting design and designated pedestrian routes. By making everything universally accessible, everyone belongs.

The renovation of an existing Synagogue to support the mission of the North Shore Special Recreation Center presented a series of challenges. To more fully understand the existing facility and avoid some of the difficulties inherent in a renovation and re-purposing of an existing facility W.B. Olson collaborated with NSSRA and Woodhouse Tinucci to perform the necessary interior demolition to expose and adequately account for existing conditions in the design.

Demolition exposed the truss that created the large column-less multi-purpose room. With the demolition and the truss members exposed, an architectural treatment for the truss members could be developed. In addition, because the truss was exposed before the design was completed and before the project was bid, the bidding contractors could see and incorporate the existing conditions into their bids. An example of this was that the drywall contractor could shop fabricate the gypsum board enclosures for the truss members to ensure sharp corners and proper fit. This saved considerable time in the field and improved quality. Also, by completing the demolition before design, the existing mechanical systems were exposed, and significant portions of the system could be reused, significantly reducing project costs. In addition, previously unforeseen structural modifications were incorporated so that the construction schedule was not impacted.

Another advantage of completing the demolition before the design was that many other unknowns associated with renovation and re-purposing projects were discovered and addressed in the bid documents. This resulted in significant savings, which could be used to enhance the spaces further and complete other building repairs that improved the overall quality and extended the facility’s lifespan.

NSSRA provides and facilitates year-round recreation programs and services for children, teens and adults with disabilities who live in its partner communities. NSSRA is an extension of ten park districts, two cities and one village in the northern suburbs of Chicago. This partnership includes the Park Districts of Deerfield, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Kenilworth, Lake Bluff, Northbrook, Northfield, Wilmette, and Winnetka; the Cities of Highwood and Lake Forest; and the Village of Riverwoods. NSSRA has been creating an environment of belonging through play since 1970 and have the distinction as the first Special Recreation Association in the country.

NSSRA believes that “everyone should have the chance to try something new.” They offer over 500 annual programs to thousands of participants, and their newly renovated facility provides over 10,000sf of new programming space, offering the opportunity for new programs that didn’t exist before. A new demonstration and teaching kitchen allows for food related programming, and a new 5000sf multi-purpose room allows for agency wide gatherings such as dances or parties. A new library offers a quite space for reading and contemplation, and a new movie theater in the old temple provides a variety of entertainment options. A new outdoor garden, art room and fitness room are also included, but the most prominent of the new spaces is the participant lounge, the true social heart of the facility and organization, where participants gather and socialize as they come and go from the community throughout the day.

Renovation and re-purposing projects bring inherent safety challenges. Using Job Hazard Analyses, areas of concern were identified, and efforts were focused on engineering out many of the hazards. As a result, approximately 17,500 person-hours worked on the project with no safety issues and no lost time accidents.