{"id":5788,"date":"2019-05-13T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2019-05-13T08:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/?p=5788"},"modified":"2025-09-05T14:21:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T14:21:57","slug":"undulating-alucobond-plus-fins-reflect-water-movement-reduce-glare-in-energy-efficient-riverfront-office-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/undulating-alucobond-plus-fins-reflect-water-movement-reduce-glare-in-energy-efficient-riverfront-office-building\/","title":{"rendered":"Undulating ALUCOBOND\u00ae Plus ‘Fins’ Reflect Water Movement, Reduce Glare in Energy-Efficient Riverfront Office Building"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The new Chicago flagship operation of logistics provider C.H. Robinson<\/a> opened its doors to employees in August 2018 as the first anchor tenant in the new Lincoln Yards revitalization development near the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Highlights <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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This modern office building reflects its riverfront location with a design that emulates the flow of water with undulating fins fabricated from ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS aluminum composite material. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These fins would be designed with profiles that would move in and out from the building to meet changing glare control requirements, according to Rovira, who said the fins would also create the perception of long waves and reflect the movement of the river. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sobotec fabricated the ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS panels and gussets and installed them in a unitized system in the controlled environment of the company’s shop rather than in the field. The units feature a custom aluminum frame and hook and pin system with locking bars.  A total of 827 finished units measuring approximately 5 feet wide by 6 feet tall were shipped to the site for installation. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Project Name<\/strong>: C.H. Robinson Midwest Headquarters

Location<\/strong>: Chicago, IL

ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS<\/strong>: Custom BMB Sunlight Silver Mica

Architect<\/strong>: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

General Contractor<\/strong>: Power Construction Co., LLC

Fabricator<\/strong>: Sobotec Ltd.

Installer<\/strong>: Mid-States Glass and Metal, Inc.

Photography<\/strong>: \u00a9 Mark Kempf<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Located at 1515 W. Webster Ave., the C.H. Robinson Midwest headquarters was a build-to-suit project with Chicago developer Sterling Bay<\/a>, which had purchased a four-acre vacant industrial parcel located at Webster Avenue and the north branch of the Chicago River. Sterling Bay plans to expand Lincoln Yards to accommodate additional office, residential, hotel, entertainment and retail tenants and has acquired approximately 70 acres in the industrial area \u2013 including the historic site of the A. Finkl & Sons Steel Co. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Designed by the Chicago office of architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP<\/a> (SOM), the new four-story office building accommodates more than 1,000 employees of C.H. Robinson, a leading global third-party logistics provider headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. At 207,000 square feet, the new building is more than double the size of C.H. Robinson’s previous office space on North Marcey Street in Chicago and features both above- and below-grade parking as well as a 5,000 square-foot roof terrace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This modern office building reflects its riverfront location with a design that emulates the flow of water with undulating fins fabricated from ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS aluminum composite material (ACM) by 3A Composites USA<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With a design targeted to achieve LEED\u00ae Gold certification, this building incorporates low-cost, high-efficiency materials to achieve significant improvements in performance, according to an architect\u2019s statement. It is clad in heat-reducing glass shaded by the ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS fins, which are designed to mitigate solar gain, reduce glare in workspaces and increase daylight in communal areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Recyclable ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> \u2013 which is manufactured with both post-manufacturing and post-consumer content \u2013 contributes LEED\u00ae credits to building projects.) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The undulating fins were created with approximately 28,240 square feet of 4mm ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS ACM in the Custom BMB Sunlight Silver Mica<\/strong> color.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(ALUCOBOND\u00ae Plus consists of two sheets of 0.020″ aluminum thermobonded to a proprietary fire-resistant core and is manufactured in the 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\n\n\n

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\nThe C.H. Robinson office building features a 30-foot setback and public \nlandscaped park that fronts the Chicago River, offering office \nemployees and visitors “expansive views of the water,” according to a \nSterling Bay statement.\n\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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“Sterling Bay presented us with a challenging and exciting opportunity that we tried to resolve with a sophisticated but simple design concept,” said Jorge Rovira, AIA, associate, SOM architects. “They asked us to create a design that would integrate the building with the river and that could be built efficiently. We investigated a mix of high-performance building materials to achieve LEED\u00ae certification. When we looked at the big picture for this design, we knew we wanted to bring light deep inside the space \u2013 while maximizing sustainability by controlling daylight \u2013 to create a better workplace. We introduced the idea of large ‘fins’ that would be shaped to reduce glare inside and offer an opportunity to reduce the window-to-wall ratio and incorporate more surface for insulation. Behind the fins, a well-proven unitized curtain wall would provide the enclosure.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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These fins would be designed with profiles that\nwould move in and out from the building to meet changing glare control\nrequirements, according to Rovira, who said the fins would also create the\nperception of long waves and reflect the movement of the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SOM engaged the engineering expertise of Sobotec Ltd.<\/a>, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to work together to turn the vision for the facade fins into reality. Mid-States Glass and Metal, Inc.<\/a>, of Niles, Ill., partnered with Sobotec to work on the project with general contractor Power Construction Co., LLC<\/a>, of Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 “We\ntalked with Sobotec about surface requirements and the fact that every panel is\ntwisted, creating wrapping surfaces,” said Rovira. “Sobotec reviewed\nthe fin proposal for constructability and finished our design. … <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“When we were thinking about a metallic surface,\nwe thought ALUCOBOND\u00ae would be cost-effective and easy to handle and could be\nformed into different shapes. We were able to introduce a unique central atrium\nto bring more daylight into the building and yet remain within the project’s\nbudget because we saved building material costs by selecting ALUCOBOND\u00ae. We\nwere quite comfortable using ALUCOBOND\u00ae aluminum composite material because we\nknew it could be twisted and that the corners would be sharper than those\ncreated with metal panels.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“We figured out how to do it,” said Vlad Sobot, president, Sobotec, which worked with SOM in a design-assist role collaborating with installer Mid-States Glass and Metal. “From our perspective, it’s what we do. \u2018Adding structure to vision’ is our company tag line. … <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“This was one of our more complicated projects.\nEvery single panel in a single row is unique \u2013 from the depth of the panel to\nthe nose. The fins move horizontally and vertically across the building; they\nmove in and out like a wave. Engineering was a big challenge as well as\nfabrication because these complex shapes required a bit of a twist in each\nunit. This design could not have been completed with any material other than\nALUCOBOND\u00ae. It is the only material that could have accommodated such complex\nshapes and it was as an economical choice for this project.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While SOM architects originally reviewed a white\npalette, the ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS ACM in the Custom BMB Sunlight Silver Mica color\nwas selected as a reflective color that could withstand residual dust from the\nindustrial site, according to Rovira.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“We wanted the brightness of silver and its reflection,” said Rovira. “When light hits the silver ALUCOBOND\u00ae, it looks even brighter and almost gleams in the sun. As light hits the Chicago River, it bounces back so that you can see the river reflected on all floors of the building. The sparkling reflections and water movement are very beautiful.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Fabrication and Installation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Sobotec engineered and fabricated approximately 300\ndifferent ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS panel shapes to create the sunshade design on each of\nthe building’s four floors with one identical pattern repeating on the second\nand fourth floors and another pattern repeating on the third floor and roof.  Each elevation features individually unique\nALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS panels creating the angled facade and contour look of the fins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sobotec fabricated the ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS panels and gussets and installed them in a unitized system in the controlled environment of the company’s shop rather than in the field. The units feature a custom aluminum frame and hook and pin system with locking bars.  A total of 827 finished units measuring approximately 5 feet wide by 6 feet tall were shipped to the site for installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mid-States Glass and Metal first installed a continuous aluminum curtain wall designed by Bruce Wall Systems Corp.<\/a>, of Tucker, Ga., which incorporated high-performance energy-efficient glass supplied by the Owatonna, Minn., location of architectural glass fabricator Viracon<\/a>. The sunshade units then were attached to the curtain wall with pins and pin supports integrated into the mullion system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“This approach allowed us to first enclose the\nbuilding completely and make it weather tight,” said Lance Mainwaring,\nsenior project manager, Mid-States Glass and Metal. “Then we installed the\nsunshades and made final adjustments.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mid-States Glass and Metal worked closely with\nSobotec engineers during sunshade installation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“We made changes to the bracket design as we\nreceived panels on the job,” said Mainwaring. “Sobotec came up with\nslight engineering improvements as we were working on the job site. It was a\ngood job working as a team on this project.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SOM architects spent approximately one year\ndesigning the project; construction was completed in 1.5 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now that building construction is complete,\n“we all agree that it looks fantastic,” according to Rovira.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“It’s a simple yet elegant design,” said\nRovira. “This facade has a nice rhythm and, up close, the river light\nglitters water reflections in the fins. The panels were challenging but,\nultimately, were successfully executed through great teamwork.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Introduced in 1969, ALUCOBOND\u00ae is the original and\nworld’s best-known aluminum composite material. ALUCOBOND\u00ae is manufactured in\nthe United States\nin the Benton, Ky., plant of 3A Composites. The 3A\nComposites USA headquarters are based in Davidson,\n N.C. For more information about ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS ACM, call 1-800-626-3365, email info.usa@3AComposites.com<\/a> or visit\nwww.3ACompositesUSA.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The new Chicago flagship operation of logistics provider C.H. Robinson opened its doors to employees in August 2018 as the first anchor tenant in the new Lincoln Yards revitalization development near the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. This modern office building reflects its riverfront location with a design that emulates the flow of water with undulating fins fabricated from ALUCOBOND\u00ae Plus aluminum composite material (ACM) by 3A Composites USA. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[460,67,37,38,291,28,463,413,461,153,86,223,466,464,462,465],"class_list":["post-5788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-case-studies","tag-alucobond-custom-colors","tag-aluminum-cladding","tag-aluminum-composite-material","tag-aluminum-composite-panel","tag-aluminum-facade","tag-architecture","tag-chicago-architecture","tag-corporate-design","tag-custom-acm","tag-custom-colors","tag-fabrication","tag-metal-architecture","tag-office-building-design","tag-route-and-return","tag-sobotec","tag-wrapping-surface"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5788","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\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5788"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8716,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5788\/revisions\/8716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}