Thermal Chicago Franklin/Van Buren District Cooling Plant
Chilled water cooling plant in Chicago's Southwest Loop
Chicago, Illinois
Originally owned and operated by Exelon Thermal Technologies, ESA’s second district plant for the company has been characterized as a “potent architectural presence” and “civilized urban design.” At the time of its construction, it was the single largest ice storage facility in the world.
Located on a highly visible site adjacent to the Congress Expressway and the Chicago River, the 40,000 sf plant’s design is both site specific and expressive of function. A curved green glass wall serves as a “bookend” to the graceful sweep of the neighboring 333 Wacker Drive building. The tank’s massive, cast-in-place buttressed concrete walls relate to the aesthetic of the expressway piers nearby. A galvanized screen on the rooftop masking evaporative condensers takes its visual vocabulary from expressway signage structures. At night the building comes alive with views into the mechanical areas.
R e c o g n i t i o n
AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Award
Illinois Engineering Council Project of the Year
Chicago Athenaeum Distinguished Building Award
Exhibition: New Chicago Architecture, Chicago Athenaeum
Chicago Building Congress Award of Recognition
Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute Regional Design Award
Metal Construction Association Merit Award