Proj Overview

Project Overview

Administrators at The British School of Chicago wanted to expand their facilities with classrooms and other needs while adding more parking spaces.

To accomplish these goals on a tight downtown urban site, designers created a three-level building with a green roof that offers gathering spaces for students

Precast Solution

Load-bearing architectural precast concrete panels clad the building, while interior precast concrete walls helped provide the open-span spaces required for a central gymnasium.

Using precast concrete produced significant cost savings, as it eliminated the need for columns along the perimeter and incorporated several finishes with structural features.
The panels feature Endicott thin brick cast into panels on the upper floor, with tinted concrete with a buff appearance to replicate limestone on the lower floor.

The walls help support an intensive green roof system that serves as a gathering area for students. The project was completed on schedule for the new school year despite its busy urban location adjacent to Metra rail lines.

 

Project Team

Architect

Antunovich and Associates 

Engineer

CS Associates Inc. 

General Contractor

W.E. O’Neil Construction Co. 

Owner

The British School of Chicago 

Precaster

ATMI Precast 

Precast Specialty Engineer

ATMI Precast

Key Project Attributes

  • Three-level (one below grade) college-preparatory school building for grades pre-K through high school.
  • Features include offices, classrooms, central gymnasium, locker rooms and other facilities.
  • Green roof provides trees, plantings, paths, and lighting to serve as student gathering spot in downtown area.

Project/Precast Scope

  • 35,358 square feet of architectural load-bearing wall panels and interior gray wall panels.
  • 105 components plus limestone coping used at stairways and on perimeter walls.
  • Full-height panels used to enclose gymnasium, providing open-span space.
  • Endicott thin brick used on upper floor with buff-colored panels used on lower floor with light abrasive blast.