“The Chinatown Branch of the Chicago Public Library has become much more than a place to read and borrow books. The library functions as a civic, educational, and social hub for the entire Chinatown neighborhood”.
LEED Platinum
Certification
To replace an aging, land-locked building in need of substantial repair, the Public Building Commission of Chicago (PBC) engaged Wight to provide design-construction manager-at-risk services with design partner Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Wight acted as Design Construction Manager-at-Risk for the new, 16,000 sf sustainable, full-service library for Chicago Public Library’s Chinatown Branch, replacing the previous, outdated building three blocks away and creating a new building that reflected the strong Chinese heritage of its surroundings. This project was not only a game-changer for the community; with Wight's Design Led - Design Build delivery model, the project was delivered with unprecedented savings in cost and time.
The value of design excellence.
The Public Building Commission of Chicago (PBC) had a competition to move away from its typical branch library design. Wight & Company partnered with SOM to design, in just one month’s time, a softly-three-sided, feng shui appropriate gem of architecture. Award-winning design excellence changed how Chicago designs and builds public buildings.
Record speed.
Utilizing their integrated Design Led - Design Build team approach, Wight met the City’s goal to design, permit, and build the new library on the oddly shaped urban crossroads of Chinatown in just over one year – 3 times faster than typical.
Early cost guarantee.
In the competition submittal prepared in 4 weeks, Wight guaranteed a maximum project price providing cost certainty and saved over 22% in costs to city taxpayers.
Certification
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