The Flow of Fins and Water

by Mark Robins | July 1, 2019 12:00 am

The new Chicago flagship operation of logistics provider C.H. Robinson is located in the new Lincoln Yards revitalization development on the north branch of the Chicago River. Designed by the Chicago office of architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), the four-story office building accommodates more than 1,000 employees. At 207,000 square feet, it’s more than double the size of C.H. Robinson’s previous office space in Chicago, and features both above- and below-grade parking as well as a 5,000-square-foot roof terrace. The developer and building owner is Chicago-based Sterling Bay.

This modern office building reflects its riverfront location with a design that emulates the flow of water with undulating fins fabricated from ALUCOBOND PLUS metal composite material (MCM) by 3A Composites USA Inc., Davidson, N.C. With a design targeted to achieve LEED Gold certification, this building incorporates low-cost, high-efficiency materials to achieve significant improvements in performance. It is clad in heat-reducing glass shaded by the fins, which are designed to mitigate solar gain, reduce glare in workspaces and increase daylight in communal areas. The undulating fins were created with approximately 28,240 square feet of 4-mm ALUCOBOND PLUS MCM in Custom BMB Sunlight Silver Mica.

BY THE RIVER

The C.H. Robinson office building features a 30-foot setback and public-landscaped park that fronts the Chicago River. This gives office employees and visitors expansive views of the water. “Sterling Bay presented us with a challenging and exciting opportunity that we tried to resolve with a sophisticated but simple design concept,” says Jorge Rovira, AIA, associate, SOM. “They asked us to create a design that would integrate the building with the river and that could be built efficiently. We investigated a mix of high-performance building materials to achieve LEED certification. When we looked at the big picture for this design, we knew we wanted to bring light deep inside the space—while maximizing sustainability by controlling daylight—to create a better workplace. We introduced the idea of large fins shaped to reduce glare inside, and offer an opportunity to reduce the window-to-wall ratio and incorporate more surface for insulation. Behind the fins, a well-proven unitized curtainwall would provide the enclosure.”

These fins were designed with profiles that move in and out from the building to meet changing glare control requirements, according to Rovira, who says the fins also create the perception of long waves and reflect the movement of the river.

SOM engaged the engineering expertise of Sobotec Ltd. of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to help turn the vision for the façade fins into reality. Mid-States Glass and Metal Inc., Niles, Ill., partnered with Sobotec to work on the project with general contractor Power Construction Co. LLC, Chicago.

“We talked with Sobotec about surface requirements and the fact that every panel is twisted, creating wrapping surfaces,” Rovira says. “We were able to introduce a unique central atrium to bring more daylight into the building and yet remain within the project’s budget. We were quite comfortable using ALUCOBOND PLUS MCM because we knew it could be twisted and that the corners would be sharper than those created with metal panels. When light hits the silver ALUCOBOND PLUS, it looks even brighter and almost gleams in the sun. As light hits the Chicago River, it bounces back so that you can see the river reflected on all floors of the building. The sparkling reflections and water movement are very beautiful.”

CURTAINWALL ATTACHMENT

Mid-States Glass and Metal first installed a continuous aluminum curtainwall designed by Bruce Wall Systems Corp., Tucker, Ga., which incorporates high-performance, energy-efficient glass supplied by Owatonna, Minn.-based architectural glass fabricator Viracon. The sunshade units then were attached to the curtainwall with pins and pin supports integrated into the mullion system. “This approach allowed us to first enclose the building completely and make it weathertight,” says Lance Mainwaring, seniorproject manager, Mid-States Glass and Metal. “Then we installed the sunshades and made final adjustments.” Mid-States Glass and Metal worked closely with Sobotecengineers during sunshade installation.

“We made changes to the bracket design as wereceived panels on the job,” says Mainwaring. “Sobotec came up with slight engineering improvements as we were working on the job site. It was a good job working as a team on this project.”

Now that building construction is complete, “we all agree that it looks fantastic,” according to Rovira.

“It’s a simple yet elegant design,” Rovira adds. “This facade has a nice rhythm and, up close, the river light glitters water reflections in the fins. The panels were challenging but, ultimately, were successfully executed through great teamwork.”

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/the-flow-of-fins-and-water/

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