Matt Rebro, CPSM

Complex sites demand equally complex solutions. Today we are highlighting the Portillo's, Vequity Construction did in Cicero, IL. This site had several intricate challenges posed by years of urban infill, where buildings are continually erected and demolished, underscoring the necessity for sophisticated engineering solutions. Insert, Geopiers which is a cost-effective alternative to more extensive foundation systems like deep foundations or massive earthwork. #UrbanInfill #EngineeringChallenges

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Did you know that 70% of Chicago single-family homes don’t have central air conditioning? Elevate and the Illinois Institute of Technology released “Summer Indoor Thermal Conditions and Heat Adaptation in Chicago Residences,” a report that shows these homes reach dangerously high temperatures in the summer. Read the report to learn more about #extremeheat in Chicago homes, how Chicagoans deal with high indoor temperatures, and the importance of reducing risk from extreme #heat: https://lnkd.in/gszNUJSa The publication includes contributions from the City of Chicago’s Department of Environment, the Chicago Department of Public Health, and the Defusing Disasters Working Group. The research was funded by Northwestern University’s Buffett Institute for Global Affairs through the Defusing Disasters Working Group which is developing Chicago’s first public health-informed Heat Vulnerability Index.

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Savills Joe Learner and Robert Sevim are pleased to have represented Sargent & Lundy in the largest office transaction of the past three years in downtown Chicago. The industry-leading engineering design firm will relocate its headquarters to 77 W. Wacker Drive by July 2027 and will occupy more than 380,000 square feet of space. This move marks a significant milestone for the firm, which is currently experiencing tremendous growth to meet the rapidly increasing needs of the power and energy industry. Read more on how Sargent & Lundy is continuing its 130-year legacy in Chicago here: https://lnkd.in/e4EFm7en #WeAreSavills

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A proposed city ordinance would require owners of large buildings — including governmental entities like MPS — to benchmark facilities’ energy usage against peers. Urban Milwaukee writes about the potential positive impact of tracking energy usage https://lnkd.in/gu8NrEry #EnergyBenchmarking #SustainableCities #UrbanDevelopment #EnergyEfficiency #GreenBuilding #ClimateAction #SustainabilityMatters

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As #generalcontractors and #constructionmanagers, Powers & Sons Construction continuously explores #sustainable materials, energy efficient systems, and best practices for #greenbuilding. Last year, the Indianapolis Public Library's West Perry Branch, which we built in 2022, was named the 2023 Indiana Green Building of the Year. In honor of #EarthDay2024 on April 22, here are some little things we can all do in our daily lives to help protect the planet from plastics, the official earthday.org theme. TIP 1: Choose apparel wisely and keep it as long as possible. Avoid the "fast fashion" trap and brands that mass produce low-cost, low-quality clothes that are quickly discarded. Buy the best quality clothes and shoes you can afford. Quality materials and fabrics are durable, last longer through repeated washing, and many never go out of style. TIP 2: Challenge yourself to avoid purchasing products that come encased in a lot of plastic packaging and start taking small steps to avoid all the single-use plastic in your life, from coffee pods to bags, bottles, straws and lids, and containers. TIP 3: Participate in a community clean-up! Find an event or organization and volunteer some time to remove trash along roads and riverways. Look for Earth Day 2024 clean-up activities in your area. #planetvsplastics #earthday #endplastics

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The DeVos and Van Andel families are planning a massive mixed-use project spanning three new towers with offices, a hotel and 671 residential units near Acrisure Amphitheater in downtown Grand Rapids. Officials with Progressive Companies and Michigan Growth Advisors shared plans for the $738.5 million project on a 6.9-acre site that previously included the Charley’s Crab restaurant and is now mostly surface parking. Dubbed Fulton & Market, the project calls for more than 1 million square feet of real estate and would feature the tallest building in Grand Rapids: A 43-story residential tower with 595 units and six floors of parking. A 27-story hotel and condo tower, which would share the parking deck with the residential tower, would include a 130-room “upscale” hotel and 76 condos above it. The third building, a 21-story office tower, could house 1,600 employees and would be one of the largest office buildings in the city's downtown. Leaders say the tower would be built to suit a single tenant, but did not identify one specifically. The team plans to seek about $543.5 million in state Transformational Brownfield Plan incentives for the project. Brad Thomas, president and CEO of architecture and engineering firm Progressive Companies, has been working on the concept design on behalf of the two families for about five years. He called the project part of a “grand vision” for 31 acres of riverfront property that emerged from a study commissioned in 2020 by Grand Action 2.0. “It’s one of the largest active riverfront revitalization projects in the country," Thomas said. Joe Agostinelli, CEcD, the lead consultant working on the incentives package, said the Fulton & Market development is especially expensive because the land, which used to be part of the river and was later filled in, needs to be “geotechnically” reinforced to support large buildings. The more than $738.5 million price tag would be impossible to meet without state incentives, he said. “The ($543.5 million in) incentives really make this project financially feasible," Agostinelli said. "(It) allows us to take a really underutilized 7-acre surface parking lot and build 1.2 million square feet of very dense, urban, mixed-use, vibrant development in the core of our downtown.” Read more from Rachel E. Watson: https://lnkd.in/g5-HmGJb

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The Michigan Strategic Fund board recently approved support for the conversion of a vacant commercial building into a vibrant, mixed-use site in Downtown Kalamazoo. Once completed, the project will add a ground-level restaurant and 82 new residential units – over 40 percent of which will be priced as attainable housing – contributing to Kalamazoo County and the City of Kalamazoo’s efforts to significantly increase housing in the area. PlazaCorp Realty Advisors, Inc., the developer, has redeveloped several functionally obsolete, blighted, and contaminated properties over the last several decades, leveraging a combination of Michigan Community Revitalization Program (MCRP) grants, loans, and/or state tax increment financing (TIF). The company’s portfolio of Kalamazoo properties includes the Spearflex Block, Kalamazoo Hotel Partner’s Hilton Garden Inn, and the Exchange Building. The redevelopment of this property in Kalamazoo will help add residential density to the area in a walkable, mixed-use district, further enhancing the vitality and vibrancy of the downtown community. Read more about the project taking place in downtown Kalamazoo at the link below and across the state: https://lnkd.in/gEqRHgtN

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Reminder: your building inspections might be due soon! Stay on track with your inspections to avoid violations from the Chicago Department of Buildings. LS Contracting can help keep your buildings up to code; from coordinating with engineers who perform the inspections, to correcting any issues that may be identified. We’ve got your back!

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Mortenson is issuing our Q1 2024 Construction Cost Index Report: Costs in Milwaukee increased 1.3% in the most recent quarter and increased 2.3% over the last twelve months. The overall outlook for non-residential construction in Milwaukee is cautiously optimistic, with inflation delaying interest rate reductions, continued workforce challenges, and national supply chain impacts contributing to longer lead times and higher costs for construction materials. Click on the link to dig further into the details. More » https://lnkd.in/g6EsyXn

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The 2024-2025 AGC of Minnesota Construction Industry Assessment reflects input from over 165 respondents representing the architect, engineering, and commercial construction (AEC) market sectors. The survey offers projections for overall and sector specific performance into 2025 and contains segregated and aggregated response data characterizing key business and employment conditions and other construction market metrics. View the assessment: https://lnkd.in/gBPsDAz

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Thank you to Illinois Section ASCE for spotlighting our LED Lighting Program as this year’s recipient of the Sustainability in Civil Engineering Achievement Award! This recognition for our ambitious LED Lighting Program highlights the Illinois Tollway’s commitment to investments in sustainability through its Move Illinois capital program. These investments benefit customers, roadway workers and the environment. The Tollway’s LED Lighting Program sets an industry standard by converting 22,000 traditional lights to energy-efficient LEDs across the entire 294-mile Tollway system. With 90 percent of the system now illuminated by LEDs, energy usage has been cut in half, maintenance costs reduced and safety enhanced for both drivers and roadway maintenance workers. LED lighting also produces less heat and contains no hazardous materials such as mercury, which is present in traditional bulbs. LEDs last up to four times longer than traditional lights, reducing the frequency and cost of maintenance and minimizing disruptions for Tollway customers and exposure to live traffic for roadway maintenance workers. Results: - $700,000 saved annually in energy costs - 5,200 tons of carbon emissions prevented by saving nearly 11.5 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually LED luminaires enhance roadway safety by providing superior light quality and a more comfortable, uniform brightness range. LEDs feature adjustable color temperatures that reduce eye strain and improve visibility for motorists. The ability to manage brightness levels based on weather conditions highlights the program’s innovative approach. The recognition from ASCE Illinois underscores the pivotal role that sustainable technologies like LED lighting can play in shaping the future of transportation. As the Illinois Tollway continues its journey toward completing the LED conversion by 2026, the agency remains steadfast in its commitment to sustainability and safety – leading the industry in adopting forward-thinking, eco-friendly solutions. Watch our video here: https://bit.ly/4hceJ6N Read more: https://bit.ly/3NzpJ0B

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As Illinois tightens its building energy codes, architects and owners must adapt to stricter standards aimed at net-zero energy by 2030. Speaking with Bisnow, Glenn Johnson and Allison McSherry, RA, LEED AP, CEM discuss the challenging new code updates and the importance of choosing the right compliance process. For continuous air barrier compliance, Johnson explains the dilemma: "You have to decide whether you want to gamble with the blower door process and wait until the end of construction to find out if you have a problem, or do you want to be proactive and not risk having this issue?" McSherry highlights the benefits of the proactive approach: "We feel that for large, complex building types, the BEPV approach provides a much better cost/value proposition for the project." Which process is best for your building? Learn more about the new code requirements: https://lnkd.in/grt9t6zz #SustainableChicago #BuildingEnergyCodes #NetZero2030 #KleinandHoffman

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GBI congratulates Michigan leaders on the finalization of a new data center sustainability law! The law continues Michigan’s commitment to supporting critical data center growth, while holding data center projects accountable to sustainability. The law requires sustainable and resilient design, construction, and operation through GBI’s Green Globes certification, among others. To date, nearly 16 million square feet of data centers have been certified or are pursuing Green Globes certification in 17 states and Canada. Learn more about the law and GBI’s Green Globes certification for data centers: https://bit.ly/4fMJlK7

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Check out the new kinetic architectural element being installed in the southeast corner of the Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility at Marquette University. To learn more about the significance of this design element click the link below!

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***PARTNER SPOTLIGHT*** Plante Moran Living Forward’s supply and demand projections suggest an approaching shortage of senior housing units relative to the expected demand. Demographic growth and continuing construction cost and project financing challenges will only broaden the gap between supply and demand. Get the details: https://loom.ly/tGO8ulI #MarketTrends #LivingForward #OALA #assistedliving #seniorliving

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ICYMI: Multiple options for Cabrini-Green redevelopment have been aired by architect-master planner SCB and the Chicago Housing Authority. Up to 4,000 housing units are proposed, mixing market-rate with subsidized units and replacement public housing across 43 vacant acres. There are modest differences in site massing and density between the three alternate strategies, and some do more to preserve the 1940s Francis Cabrini Rowhomes (the only buildings spared the wrecking ball). They all preserve Strangers Home Missionary Baptist Church. For the most part, each plan concentrates larger buildings along avenues and blends old and new in terms of both buildings and streetscape. After a period of community feedback, the refined concepts will undergo a feasibility analysis. Final reports will be submitted this fall. It's encouraging to finally see real momentum for redevelopment! #CabriniGreen #development #preservation #AffordableHousing https://lnkd.in/ghgthS5e

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