Chicago, IL

900 West Washington Boulevard

Scope/Solutions
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Project Summary

Scope/Solutions

With its compact size and industrial aesthetics, 900 West blends with its West Loop neighborhood. The building includes twenty-two luxury condominiums, two penthouse units with city views, large private balconies, and enclosed parking at grade. SGH is the structural engineer of record and consulted on the building enclosure and hydronically heated concrete topping slabs.

Highlights of our structural design include:

Collaborating with the project team to evaluate alternate structural systems
Selecting a cast-in-place concrete structure to provide thin floor profiles with future flexibility and accommodate a future topping slab for radiant heating
Creating a REVIT model used for spatial and production coordination
Preparing core-and-shell permit drawings and helping obtain city approval
Designing transfer girders at Level 9 to support a two-story, set-back penthouse structure and at Level 2 to span drive lanes and parking below
Detailing grade beams and caisson foundations to clear the property line, while permitting columns to be located adjacent to it
Specifying materials and procedures for exposed concrete topping slabs to accommodate hydronic heating and achieve the desired polished finish
Designing a suspended hybrid steel/concrete structure over a large opening

We also consulted on the building enclosure, including:

Blind-side waterproofing, including developing details to integrate it with the positive-side waterproofing and vapor barrier
Window wall system, including participating in a laboratory mockup, observing field testing, and helping resolve field conditions to mitigate leakage
Aluminium composite material (ACM) panel cladding system, including developing details to integrate it with the window wall system
Air/vapor/thermal barriers to maintain continuity and transition to wall openings
Balcony and roofing systems, featuring vegetative trays, pavers, and ballast