Bold L&H Lofts restores historic Washington Ave. building
By Susan Turner
One of the purposes of establishing a green rating system such as LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is to reduce the consumption of the earth’s resources. Historic buildings are one of the largest repositories of embodied energy. This project, located at 2620 W. Washington, retains the embodied energy of the entire concrete structure, exterior brick and terracotta envelope, providing a level of quality and detail not usually found in developer projects.
Bold L&H lofts is remarkable to be the first city and federal landmark building to seek LEED® Silver accreditation. The 114,000 square foot six-story building is being converted to a 68-unit apartment building with 3,400 square feet of retail space and interior parking. Mansion View Developer Corp. had previously planned to renovate this building for condominiums dependant on a four-story addition for operational scale, however, their plans were scuttled when the added stories were deemed unsuitable for this historic building. Bold Developments proposed a much more suitable redevelopment within the existing envelope, which highlights the buildings’ details and makes use of the high ceiling height.
The City of Chicago worked with the developer through the Green Permit process, a move that was critical in reducing carrying costs. While this process expedited the permitting process, it added city requirements that, while green, were not necessarily selections that the developer would have chosen. For example, the mandatory landscaped roof with heavy insulation level greatly contributed to improving the energy model, but the move added expense for the developer. The green roof, however, does result in an attractive selling feature to future residents, featuring panoramic Chicago skyline views, a communal patio / barbeque area and dog run. To achieve the LEED® Silver rating, the project boasts many more green features, such as the latest electromagnetic / low energy consumption Kone elevator, high performance windows, low-VOC millwork for the kitchen cabinetry, individual unit high-performance furnaces and water heaters, higher roof insulation, and a vegetated roof. While these features are expensive, they will only be advantageous for the developers if the building is ever converted to condominium ownership, because of reduced operating costs.
From a green technology standpoint, the technology employed is not particularly innovative. However, the developers chose to retain the exposed interior brick of the exterior walls, rather than insulate them. The energy model determined that the amount of wall involved, if upgraded, would not appreciably improve the energy consumption; so consumer preference for exposed brick was retained.
Aside from the reduced carbon footprint benefits of the project’s design, there is a public benefit in the saving of this historic building. It constitutes a significant project for the area that encourages pride in the neighborhood, encouraging more development. The developer, Larry Kerner, is keen to point out the building’s artistic qualities, and how it illustrates the texture of Chicago. The 1927 building was designed by Paul Gerhardt Sr. and originally housed the Lindemann and Hoverson (L&H) Stove company which operated there until 1941. The building is constructed of reinforced concrete slabs supported by ‘mushroom’ capital columns, and is clad in pressed brick with a two-story glazed white terracotta base. While it is a simple rectangular building, it is elegant with the terracotta detail. While the original metal fire stairs were demolished after construction of the new interior exit stairs, new balconies in the same location echo the original appearance.
City of Chicago’s parking requirements demanded more stalls than the original design called for. A multi-level parking design required two entrances to accommodate the stall access. Part of the main floor is used for parking, while the second floor will be for mixed use, with the east end for parking. New garage entrances were incorporated into the existing fenestration of the exterior wall.
While at times the demands of working with a listed building can be at odds with the LEED® or development requirements, this project successfully balanced conflicting criteria to complete a successful development. Anticipated occupancy is June 2009.
Tags: Green Permit, high-performance windows, Kone elevator, LEED Silver, LEED®, low-VOC
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