Residence Hall at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Architect: Booth Hansen Associates Inc.,
Chicago, IL

Engineer: Thornton-Tomasetti Inc.,
Chicago, IL

General Contractor: Wooton Construction Co.,
Chicago, IL

Owner: Art Institute of Chicago,
Chicago, IL

Precaster: GFRC Cladding Systems Inc.,
Garland, Texas

Located on the corner of Randolph and State Streets in downtown Chicago, the new Residential Hall for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago looks as though it might have been constructed in the early part of the last century. That was the intention of architects Booth Hansen Associates, Inc. who wanted the building to fit in with its traditional neighbors. “We were guided by old Chicago School of Architecture buildings with their steel frames and terra cotta cladding,” says Laurence Booth, partner and design architect. But in fact, the building features panels of glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) covering 75 percent of the façade. The project represents the largest GFRC project in the city to date.

The 300,000-square-foot Residential Hall is composed of three connected components: a new building replacing a demolished structure on the corner, the adjacent reconstructed Heidelberg building and a new link on the rear. Designing the dormitory in two main components prevented it from appearing as one massive building. The three lower levels of the 17-story building house retail space and a theater, with the dormitory rooms on the floors above.

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Precast Cladding Gives Dorm Terra Cotta Look
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