Shade Evaluation Garden and Shoreline Restoration

Designed by renowned Belgian landscape architect, Peter Wirtz of Wirtz International, the Shade Evaluation Garden is at once a beautifully playful garden and serious research facility.

The design responds to the Chicago Botanic Garden’s dual aspirations of creating a new garden in an under-visited area of its campus and establishing a first class facility for researchers to study shade plants from around the globe. As part of this project, the Garden has embarked on a complete restoration of the shorelines adjacent to the Shade Garden as well as those of Marsh Island and Dixon Prairie.

S Projects has worked intimately with the Garden’s team through every phase of this project from identifying consulting partners through concept development and design. The project recently completed construction and was successfully delivered on time and under budget.

Client: Chicago Botanic Garden
Location: Glencoe, IL
Role: Owner’s Representative
Status: Construction

Photos: Robert Elmore

Next project→

Welcome Plaza

The Welcome Plaza is the first renovation to the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Visitor Center since it was built in 1992. With attendance at an all time high and increased programmatic offerings, the Garden decided to expand the Visitor Center to include a Guest Services building, Admission buildings and additional restrooms. In keeping with the legacy of designer Edward Larrabee Barnes who envisioned much of the Garden’s original campus, the architecture is restrained with a material palette that is simple and modern yet rich with texture.

S Projects led the Garden’s multi-disciplinary team including education, guest services and administration through a scope definition process, design team selection, design and procurement. S Projects is now overseeing project construction with a planned completion in 2022.

Client: Chicago Botanic Garden
Location: Glencoe, IL
Role: Owner’s Representative
Status: Schematic Design, Fundraising

Next project→

Picnic Glade

As part of its continuing effort to increase services for its visitors, the Chicago Botanic Garden is designing a new Picnic Glade. The existing picnic area, long the central meeting point for visiting school groups, is inadequate in accommodating the Garden’s expanded number of visitors. The new Picnic Glade buildings employ the modern architectural vocabulary that is emblematic of all buildings at the Garden but also surprises the visitor with innovative pavilion roofs that provide shade with dappled sunlight inspired by the tree canopies found on the Garden’s campus.

Working closely with the Garden’s visitor services team, S Projects led the scope definition process, design team selection, design and procurement phases of the project and is now providing oversight of construction. Project completion is planned for 2022.

Client: Chicago Botanic Garden
Location: Glencoe, IL
Role: Owner’s Representative
Status: Schematic Design, Fundraising

Next project→

Production Greenhouse

With its original greenhouses dating back to the 1950s, the Chicago Botanic Garden needed to expand and update its plant production to keep pace with its advanced research and development needs. With over 50,000 square feet of cutting edge greenhouse space, this new facility allows the Garden to meet its research and production goals well into the future. In keeping with the Garden’s mission, every potential sustainable strategy was explored and evaluated to result in a highly energy efficient greenhouse complex.

Working collaboratively with Brown + Associates, S Projects brought the second phase of this complex project to completion on time and under budget.

Client: Chicago Botanic Garden
Location: Glencoe, IL
Role: Assistant Owner’s Representative
Status: Complete

Photos: Chicago Botanic Garden

Next project→

Grainger Center

The Grainger Center was one of the first buildings built on the Chicago Botanic Garden campus. The building originally housed the entire plant production operation for the Garden, but with the construction of the new Head House and Greenhouse facility, it was in need of reorganization and updating. The multi-departmental building was thoughtfully reimagined to increase collaboration and efficiency as well as to become the home of the Garden’s renowned bonsai collection studio. As part of the renovation, new infrastructure including emergency power systems and boilers were installed to bring the building up to date. Cosmetic updates complete the renovation and give the building a fresh look.

S Projects worked in conjunction with the user groups to reorganize the Grainger Center plan and led the project through design, procurement and construction. The project was successfully delivered on time and under budget.

Client: Chicago Botanic Garden
Location: Glencoe, IL
Role: Owner’s Representative
Status: Complete

Next project→

Water Main Infrastructure

With 28 gardens situated on 385 acres, 60 acres of lakes, 9 islands, and 50 years of development and growth, the Chicago Botanic Garden needed to add resiliency to its potable water system. S Projects was engaged to plan, estimate, procure, and execute the necessary improvements with one main goal: limit the impact on the Garden’s extensive living collection and its visitor experience.

To achieve this, the project utilized directional drilling to install almost three quarters of a mile of new, corrosion resistant pipe, valves, and fittings. Rather than exacting trenches to lay pipe, directional drilling only has small excavations at each end and the pipe is drilled between. The result is a more reliable water system that preserved the collection and most visitors didn’t even realize the project was taking place.

Client: Chicago Botanic Garden
Location: Glencoe, IL
Role: Owner’s Representative
Status: Complete

Photos: Chicago Botanic Garden

Next project→

Joffrey Ballet

For many years, the Joffrey Ballet’s facilities were spread throughout Chicago. The construction of a new mixed-use tower gave the Joffrey the perfect opportunity to unite all their departments under one roof. This new facility, in the heart of Chicago’s Theater District, occupies three floors and accommodates dance studios, a black box theater, offices, a costume shop, and much needed storage. This complex of performance and administrative spaces formed an exciting new hub that is more appropriate to the scale and mission of this prestigious organization.

Client: Joffrey Ballet
Location: Chicago, IL
Role: Designer, Lead Architect
Status: Complete

Next project→

850 Lake Shore Drive

This 1924 Beaux Arts building, the original home of the Lakeshore Athletic Club, was completely renovated to be a luxury apartment building with 198 residences. As part of the renovation, the historic facade was entirely restored and careful attention was given to ensure the the building’s interiors were appropriately compatible. As part of that effort, many of the buildings original fixtures were painstakingly removed, catalogued, restored and reinstalled.

Along with the focus on historic restoration was an emphasis on providing tenants with state-of-the art contemporary amenities such as a resident lounge, well appointed rooftop terrace, indoor pool, and building-wide WiFi. Sustainability was also a priority and LEED Certification was achieved.

Client: Integrated Development Group
Location: Chicago, IL
Role: Designer, Lead Architect
Status: Complete

Next project→

Special Collections

This complete renovation of the Special Collections Research Center within the existing University of Chicago Regenstein Library gives new life to a collection that was all but unknown except to scholars.

The new design expands and updates the Center’s facility while substantially increasing its visibility along a newly renovated pedestrian corridor. The updated facility now includes an exhibition gallery that will allow the Center to display its extensive collection of rare books and objects as well as to play host to traveling exhibits from other institutions.

Client: University of Chicago
Location: Chicago, IL
Role: Designer, Lead Architect
Status: Complete

Next project→