{"id":4745,"date":"2018-08-28T12:21:04","date_gmt":"2018-08-28T12:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/?p=4745"},"modified":"2025-09-05T15:11:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T15:11:58","slug":"elementary-school-renovated-for-union-headquarters-features-sleek-light-filled-design-clad-in-alucobond-plus-acm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/elementary-school-renovated-for-union-headquarters-features-sleek-light-filled-design-clad-in-alucobond-plus-acm\/","title":{"rendered":"Elementary School Renovated For Union Headquarters Features Sleek, Light-Filled Design Clad In ALUCOBOND PLUS ACM"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"IBEW<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 134 in Chicago celebrated the grand opening of their new headquarters and union hall in May 2018 \u2013 a renovation project that has been described in glowing terms that are reflective not only of the building\u2019s light-filled architectural design but of its significant impact on the surrounding Bronzeville neighborhood revitalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The $25-million project \u2013 totaling approximately 70,000 square feet \u2013 includes a 48,000 square-foot retrofit of the former Chicago Public Schools\u2019 1960s-era Drake Elementary School into IBEW administrative offices as well as new construction of an adjacent 22,000 square-foot wing to house the IBEW\u2019s union hall and lobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS panels also were installed in the interior as well in areas \u201cwhere we were trying to mimic some of the exterior architecture,\u201d according to Stojsavljevic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest challenges in renovating the Drake School was the availability of only a few existing architectural drawings, according to Stojsavljevic, who said the lack of drawings produced \u201csome surprises\u201d in demolition. Additionally, she said the school\u2019s low floor-to-floor height required a great deal of detail and planning to install new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Project Name: IBEW Local 134 Headquarters

Location: Chicago, IL

ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS: Custom Ridgedale Silver, Custom Gray Velvet Mica, Bone White

Architects\/General Contractors: Wight & Company

Fabricator: Sobotec Ltd.

Installer: Architectural Panel Systems (APS)

Photography: “Before Image”courtesy of Wight & Company, all “After Images” by \u00a9Paul Schlismann Photography courtesy of Wight & Company<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The new IBEW Local 134 headquarters has been dubbed \u201cthe Beacon of Bronzeville\u201d and praised for its sleek, state-of-the-art design.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"IBEW
before photograph \u00a9Wight & Company<\/p>\n

The $25-million project \u2013 totaling approximately 70,000 square feet \u2013 includes a 48,000 square-foot retrofit of the former Chicago Public Schools\u2019 1960s-era Drake Elementary School into IBEW administrative offices as well as new construction of an adjacent 22,000 square-foot wing to house the IBEW\u2019s union hall and lobby. The school\u2019s original gymnasium has been renovated into a new community center in which neighborhood residents can play basketball, soccer and other indoor sports for free. Additionally, IBEW 134 is partnering with neighboring Dunbar Vocational Career Academy High School to provide instructors to teach electrical courses; and, it has guaranteed program graduates positions in the union\u2019s pre-apprentice program.<\/p>\n

Darien, Ill.-headquartered Wight & Company<\/a>, served as both architect and general contractor for the project.<\/p>\n

\"IBEW
\u00a9Paul Schlismann Photography courtesy of Wight & Company<\/p>\n

\u201cIBEW Local 134 sought a new home for its members \u2013 a home that would create a strong presence within a community, a home that would speak to both the history and the future of this strong brotherhood, a home that would be both inviting and inspiring,\u201d said Milica \u201cMimi\u201d Stojsavljevic, project designer, Wight & Company. \u201cThey wanted to create a gathering place that puts light on both the union\u2019s future as well as its legacy. Local 134 wanted to build a state-of-the-art facility that would represent the future of their trade and set a precedent for all others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IBEW
\u00a9Paul Schlismann Photography courtesy of Wight & Company<\/p>\n

This sleek architectural design\u2019s modern fa\u00e7ade is clad in nearly 24,000 square feet of 4mm ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS aluminum composite material (ACM) by 3A Composites USA, including: 19,873 square feet of Custom Ridgedale Silver, 2,327 square feet of Custom Gray Velvet Mica and 1,747 square feet of Bone White.<\/p>\n

\"IBEW
\u00a9Paul Schlismann Photography courtesy of Wight & Company<\/p>\n

ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels also were installed in the interior as well in areas \u201cwhere we were trying to mimic some of the exterior architecture,\u201d according to Stojsavljevic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ALUCOBOND\u00ae ACM panel was selected as the \u2018wrapper\u2019 of the building because it gave us a clean and modern finish that would help emphasize the massing as well as the slim profile that was crucial to the architectural concept,\u201d said Stojsavljevic. \u201cThe module we wanted to work with was fairly large and ALUCOBOND\u00ae ACM was able to achieve this. The custom colors were so helpful; it gave us endless opportunity in color selection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Custom Ridgedale Silver and Custom Gray Velvet Mica ALUCOBOND\u00ae colors were selected \u201cto create a two-tone subtle backdrop to reflect the building\u2019s light feature,\u201d according to Stojsavljevic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe return response from 3A Composites for these custom ALUCOBOND\u00ae colors was spot on,\u201d said Stojsavljevic. \u201cWe picked these very custom colors to create a silhouette around a light-filled wall. We wanted to create a bold statement in the community that would reflect the Bronzeville revitalization.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Alucobond PLUS consists of two sheets of 0.020\u201d aluminum thermobonded to a proprietary fire-resistant (FR) core and is manufactured in a standard 4mm thickness. ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS provides extraordinary flatness and rigidity, excellent formability, low weight and outstanding weather resistance. ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS wall panels have a flame-spread index of less than 25 and a smoke-developed index of less than 450 when tested in accordance with ASTM E 84, and have a Class A interior finish classification.)<\/p>\n

\"IBEW
\u00a9Paul Schlismann Photography courtesy of Wight & Company<\/p>\n

Wight & Company conducted a feasibility study of the property for IBEW 134 prior to its purchase in February 2016. Both Wight\u2019s design and construction teams were involved in the project\u2019s design.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe transformation of the original Drake School was going to be dramatic, which indicated early on that it would need a profound amount of collaborative effort between the design and construction teams,\u201d said Stojsavljevic. \u201cWight & Company was perfect for the job as we were all one team that worked seamlessly together toward the end goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IBEW
\u00a9Paul Schlismann Photography courtesy of Wight & Company<\/p>\n

One of the biggest challenges in renovating the Drake School was the availability of only a few existing architectural drawings, according to Stojsavljevic, who said the lack of drawings produced \u201csome surprises\u201d in demolition. Additionally, she said the school\u2019s low floor-to-floor height required a great deal of detail and planning to install new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.<\/p>\n

The existing school building serves as Local 134\u2019s business headquarters and houses offices, conference rooms and lounges \u2013 spaces that were not complementary with the previous classroom layout. In order to achieve IBEW\u2019s design goals for the old school, Stojsavljevic said the decision was made to demolish everything but the concrete structure and to rebuild the exterior skin and interiors. A five-foot cavity between the renovated school building and the newly constructed union hall and lobby was designed to serve as a chase for oversized ductwork running to the lobby.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to remove everything from the school down to its concrete structure, which included masonry and light gauge steel,\u201d said Mark Lomeda, senior project manager and LEAN strategy leader, Wight & Company. \u201cOur engineers then were able to verify exactly what was there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Demolition began in January 2017 with a tight schedule requiring renovated offices to be ready in September 2017 and the newly constructed union hall and lobby completed in March 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cScheduling was a major challenge to connect the new building with the existing structure while new construction was ongoing,\u201d said Lomeda.<\/p>\n

\"IBEW
\u00a9Paul Schlismann Photography courtesy of Wight & Company<\/p>\n

While a thinner metal panel originally was specified as cladding for both buildings, Architectural Panel Systems, Inc.(APS)<\/a>, of Naperville, Ill., recommended ALUCOBOND\u00ae ACM in order to maintain the aesthetics of this modern design that incorporates very large modules.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlucobond allowed them to keep the aesthetics and come in at budget,\u201d said Ross Boehmer, president, Architectural Panel Systems (APS), which installed the ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels with a rainscreen system. \u201cWe could install much larger panels with joints where they wanted them. We were able to provide the aesthetics as specified.\u201d<\/p>\n

APS turned to Sobotec Ltd.<\/a>, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, for engineering and fabrication of 1,085 large ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels \u2013 with the majority measuring 5 feet by 12 feet but ranging up to 16 feet in length.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis design required very long panels,\u201d said Vlad Sobot, president, Sobotec. \u201cIf we used any cladding material other than Alucobond, it would show a great deal of oil canning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sobotec developed engineering plans that included the installation of aluminum stiffeners behind the ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo achieve this design properly, you have to introduce stiffeners on these large panels,\u201d said Sobot. \u201cThat\u2019s no easy task because they can read through. This installation with ALUCOBOND\u00ae does not. It looks simple, but it\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sobotec fabricated and delivered nearly 10 truckloads of pre-fabricated ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels in phases over three months in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything was pre-fabricated and formed; these large formed panels took up a lot of space on the trucks,\u201d said Sobot. \u201cThese panels were very linear and very flat. The reason that this job looks so clean and crisp is three-fold and includes the flatness of the ALUCOBOND\u00ae material, proper fabrication and forming , and the installation. All three of these elements were of the highest quality.\u201d
\u201cThis design was very unique,\u201d said Boehmer. \u201cEveryone involved in this project should be proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photography \u00a9Paul Schlismann Photography courtesy of Wight & Company<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 134 in Chicago celebrated the grand opening of their new headquarters and union hall in May 2018 \u2013 a renovation project that has been described in glowing terms that are reflective not only of the building\u2019s light-filled architectural design but of its significant impact on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[37,72,28,102,153,29,86,141,128,53,178],"class_list":["post-4745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-case-studies","tag-aluminum-composite-material","tag-aluminum-panels","tag-architecture","tag-cladding","tag-custom-colors","tag-design","tag-fabrication","tag-facades","tag-renovation","tag-retrofit-2","tag-reuse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4745"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7448,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4745\/revisions\/7448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}