The 65,000-square-foot Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center combines a world-class museum with an innovative education center that is a lasting monument to those lost in the Holocaust during World War II. Sitting on 2 1/2 acres, the $45 million museum is a three-part building full of symbolism and meaning. Visitors enter through the dark metal-clad building, with dark walls and sharp angles representing the descent into darkness. The middle section, or hinge, is a Book of Remembrance, a memorial to those who perished in the Holocaust. The third section is a white-clad building that features soft, round edges and rooflines filled with natural light, symbolizing the ascension into the light, where exhibits represent the rescue and renewal of survivors.
The museum features approximately 23,000 square feet of Reynobond aluminum composite panels with a fire retardant core from Alcoa Architectural Products. Installed in a dry joint rainscreen system, the project utilized 12,000 square feet of Reynobond FR ACM panels in Pewter, 10,000 square feet in Pure White and 1,000 square feet in Cadet Grey. In the Room of Remembrance, there are six custom skylights with insulated high-performance glass from LINEL Signature to highlight the 25-foot space where the names of more than 1,300 victims line the wall.
Originally published: October 2009
Owner: Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois
Architect: Tigerman McCurry Architects, Chicago
General contractor: Bulley & Andrews LLC, Chicago
LEED consultant: J.T. Katrakis & Associates Inc., Barrington, Ill.
Structural steel subcontractor: Guardian Construction Products Inc., Naperville, Ill.
Metal panel fabricator/installer: Metal Erector Inc., Addison, Ill.
Metal wall panels: Alcoa Architectural Products, Eastman, Ga., www.alcoaarchitecturalproducts.com
Skylights: LINEL Signature, Mooresville, Ind., www.linelsignature.com
