Daley College Advanced Manufacturing Center
Modeling programs, instant fabrication, and rapid prototyping are changing the relationship between consumers and fabricators. Our shortlisted design competition submission for City Colleges of Chicago and the Public Building Commission expresses the speed and FLOW of that medium of exchange, and the changing nature of technology and manufacturing.
Transparency, visibility and exposure to all aspects of Advanced Manufacturing are prioritized and addressed by the use of large expanses of glass at key locations. Visual access to information and processes become an integral educational tool, exposing students to a real, hands-on academic experience.
Perforated metal skin at the new south entry evokes the materiality and precision of the metalworking process. The east-west orientation provides the best opportunity to maximize solar heat gain during the winter and minimize solar heat gain during the summer. The saw tooth roof creates a poetic historical reference while also addressing 21st century sustainability and daylighting goals of the thirty-foot high-bay space, around which the welding lab, high tech labs, 10-ton overhead crane production spaces are organized. The connecting 90’ long trusses are the primary support to columns on each side of 76th Street on the connecting bridge. The design of MEP systems complement the overall building design by providing minimum energy usage. The new addition will not only provide a high-quality learning environment but, through the integrated design approach, will achieve Zero Energy Building (ZEB) status as defined by the US Department of Energy and LEED Platinum.