Center for Conservation Leadership, Brookfield Zoo. Brookfield, Illinois Client: Chicago Zoological Society

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1 Center for Conservation Leadership, Brookfield Zoo Brookfield, Illinois Client: Chicago Zoological Society

2 Entrance Before Restoration ICA was the Architect for the adaptive reuse of the Brookfield Zoo s Reptile House, home to the zoo s new Center for Conservation Leadership. Through sensitive treatment of the building s original historic fabric, working closely with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, ICA designed and managed a successful project that was originally planned for LEED Silver and achieved LEED Gold Certification. Project Background The Reptile House was the first building of the new Brookfield Zoo (Chicago Zoo) built in Due to economic issues and availability of limestone, the project employed the use of an early version of cast stone. Careful preservation conservation and limited replacement of cast stone elements were required. The overall project was the adaptive reuse of the building as the Zoo s main educational programs building. ICA s design services included the complete remodeling and selective preservation of the interior. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) negotiated with the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) to treat the building as historic so that it could be added to the National Register at a later date. The project is LEED Gold certified. Design Approach ICA was retained to perform exterior restoration design services on this project. The original design architect was relieved of his responsibilities due to illness and ICA Relevance to Milwaukee Courthouse & Federal Office Building Scope of Work Exterior restoration Adaptive reuse of an historic centerpiece on the Brookfield Zoo campus Complete building enclosure restoration, internal restructuring and modernization of existing building to meet new programmatic needs Coordination with the SHPO (IHPA) and NPS Full scope of design from design development to construction documents and full time on-site observation and Contract Administration Meticulous documentation of existing conditions, restoration and preservation scope of work Cost Estimating & Budget Assessment: Accuracy of bidding documents led to bids within 1% of original ICA estimate with less than 1% change orders. Management of full team of engineering and design sub-consultants 2 of 5

3 During Construction New Entrance During Construction 3 of 5

4 moved into the position of architect of record for the project from Design Development on and shepherded the project to LEED Gold Certification. ICA s approach to the design of the historic exterior began with the careful examination of the exterior envelope to ascertain the nature of the materials used in its construction. This required the careful removal of some of the cast stone wall components in order to analyze them and develop a plan for their replacement. Several options were proposed by the manufacturers and contractors we engaged to assist us in our process, but all recommended the full replacement of all of the pieces so the end product would be easier to match. We refused to allow this approach and worked diligently with the providers to create the necessary replacement pieces with minimal replacement. The windows were not original and had failed, requiring replacement. ICA, through extensive research found an appropriate replacement window that matched the original in nearly every way. Salient Features and How Client Objectives Were Satisfied The building used cast stone and painted common brick in Precedent was difficult to establish, but ICA working with its team of qualified professionals was able to meet all of the client s objectives which were to restore and preserve the existing reptile house and prepare it for a new use. In addition, our mandate was to meet all of the standards required by the IHPA and NPS and design the project to a LEED Silver Certification standard. ICA met all of these objectives, and surpassed them by achieving LEED Gold Certification. The project is being nominated for an AIA Excellence Award. Our comprehensive bidding and construction documents and implementing a project management and contract administration process, engaged all of the appropriate stakeholders in the process and yielded a project that has been universally praised by its users. In order to meet a demanding schedule and budgetary constraints, ICA worked tirelessly to bring the project in on time and on budget. During construction our project manager reviewed and updated schedules and project deliverables on an ongoing basis. In an effort to keep the Courts informed we conducted weekly meetings with judicial and public works staff to assess progress, provide a forum for the discussion of issues, and share the plans for upcoming work using a 3-week look ahead format. Restoration in Progress Meeting Preservation and Sustainability Goals As part of the adaptive reuse project, we were able to restore the building exterior and interior, conserving all materials possible. This was particularly challenging because the existing historic cast stone was never painted or coated. This created a situation where the material aged beautifully but inconsistently. Some pieces of the cast stone were simply too deteriorated to restore using any type of consolidation process. The cast stone that was replaced required four months and nearly a dozen attempts to get the proper match for color, texture, finish and aggregate placement. Even after the review and approval process, several pieces were rejected due to inconsistencies in the replacement product. In the end, the result was very successful and in all cases, ICA worked directly with the IHPA to follow the standards set forth by the Secretary of the Interior for the treatment of historic properties and meet or surpass the client s goals for preservation and sustainability (LEED Gold). Reference: Chicago Zoological Society / Brookfield Zoo Ronald Reed 3300 Golf Road Brookfield, IL (708) ron.reed@czs.org Finished Interior I really enjoyed and appreciated working with ICA on the Brookfield Zoo CLC project. Stephen and his team provided the zoo with a consistent, driven process that focused on getting things right - Ronald Reed, Project Manager Chicago Zoological Society 4 of 5

5 Restoration in Progress Floor Replacement 5 of 5