PROJECTS
To help our community stay in-the-know, we’ve provided this section with our latest updates. Take a look below to discover what’s happening, and check back often for the latest news.
St Anne School District Football Field
Concession stand & locker room building.
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Pediatric Office Space
Digital printed vinyl wall covering.
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The Meadow at the Old Chicago Post Office: 433 W Van Buren Street, Chicago, IL
3.5 Acres | $19.9M | 12 Months
The newest tenant amenity to enter Chicago’s downtown market in 2020 was a 3.5 acre roof deck park dubbed ‘the Meadow’ located at the Old Chicago Post Office. The park is equivalent to 4 football fields, includes a basketball court, 2 pickleball courts, a running path, a bar and a landscape encompassing over 40,000 plants that cover 50 plus species. The construction was no small undertaking – it required strategic planning and logistics entailing 3,000 helicopter lifts to bring materials to the roof including some 300 truckloads of soil, over 5,000 cubic yards of geofoam and 22,000 square feet of concrete pavers. The Meadow is recognized by Living Architecture Monitor Green Roofs for Healthy Cities with an Award of Excellence in Intensive Commercial / Industrial / Institutional category.
Saints Mary and Elizabeth Cancer Center: 2216 W Thomas Street, Chicago, IL
14,300-SF | $7M | 13 Months
On the Ascension St Mary of Nazareth Hospital Campus, BEAR built a 14,300-SF new Amita Health Saints Mary and Elizabeth Cancer Center addition attached to what was a 4,000-SF convent. The new center can diagnose and treat cancer in the same building, and houses a newly-built linear accelerator (LINAC) and ancillary spaces. The LINAC, which delivers high energy x-rays that can attack tumors in all regions of the body, necessitated the building a 2 million-pound concrete vault to house the unit. As is the case with newer medical technology, BEAR’s design-build services included new structural and architectural changes to the existing facility. This newly renovated area converted a chapel and resident dormitory rooms into a PET-CT scanner, pharmacy and chemotherapy area, patient rooms, nurses station and other administrative offices and breakroom.
Park at theMart: 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL
19K-SF | $3.1M | 6 Months
The Park at theMART was a design-build collaboration between the theMART, confluence, Gensler and BEAR. It is a 19,000-SF exterior space along the Chicago River designed for outdoor entertainment with the capability to host up to 1,300 guests. The 100 steel planters weigh approximately 60 tons in all and were fabricated locally in Chicago. There are two sections of removable planters that can be moved for greater access to the park for larger gatherings. The IPE decking material is from South America and the Streetlife Cumaru Seating is designed in Sweden, manufactured in New Hampshire and 100% FSC certified. The Park is equipped with a full 360-degree speaker system and advanced Wi-Fi capabilities. There are different types of seating areas – tiered and single benches, high and low top tables, couches, lounge chairs and more. The multiple synthetic turf areas provide elegant lounge areas. Guests worried about the sun or rain can utilize multiple large cantilever umbrellas covering the table areas. There are two large kiosk systems by Landscape Forms that operate based on weather conditions, which open and close the roof louvers automatically when it begins to rain. The landscape includes a variety of Midwestern trees, shrubs, grasses, perennials and bulbs. There is a fully automated irrigation system to maintain the growth and health of the trees and plants. The east side of the Park is prepared for food trucks to park and guests to dine in mini-alcoves. The Park at theMART is truly a work of art and a great addition to the beautiful Chicago riverfront.
Aon Center Lobby/Plaza Renovation: 200 E Randolph Street, Chicago, IL
Lobby: 35K-SF | $9.96M | 8 Months
Plaza: 21.7K-SF | $6.8M | 6 Months
A multi-year project started in 2017, the AON Center Lobby and Plaza were an ambitious effort to redefine the tenant arrival experience at one of Chicago’s most iconic properties. The 35,000-SF lobby project reinvigorated the interior of the main lobby, and was paired with a modernization of the building’s elevator systems, along with improvements to the multiple entry doors. The project also featured updates to the many retail outlets that line the various corridors of the ground floor. The 21,700-SF plaza project reconnected the AON Center to the cityscape and the adjacent Millennium Park. A prior renovation in the 1980’s created a hardscaped, sunken plaza area that was difficult to access from the street level limiting tenants’ utilization of an otherwise vast expanse of outdoor area. BEAR reversed that, creating an inviting entry experience at street level, along with ample areas to gather and relax in a natural setting.
SAP Fieldglass: 111 N Canal Street, Chicago, IL
58K-SF | $5M | 17 Week Schedule
Having completed 10 projects with Fieldglass at their previous address, BEAR was asked to partner once more after SAP’s acquisition of the firm in 2015. The new entity demanded a fresh and invigorating new headquarters worthy of a world class company. 111 N Canal Street offered a completely renovated, LEED Certified building in which to fulfill that mission. With a sprawling 58,000-SF open floor plate to work with, BEAR and Nelson Architects turned SAP’s vision to reality with reimagined installations
to create an environment that is modern and truly inspirational. Suite 600 embraces a unique industrial theme with oversized gears at the reception desk, exposed steel features, cobblestone streetscapes and reclaimed barn wood throughout, as well as numerous overhead “garage” doors. The space includes a large open kitchen with gaming corner, live plant walls, open work spaces, shark tank-inspired tubular meeting rooms, multiple conference rooms, phone rooms with hammocks and a beer garden complete with an operational fireplace.
Candy & Cake New Building Addition
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CDB Campground Water Work
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Kankakee School District 111 Edison School Parking Lot & Sidewalk
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Bradley Alley Improvements
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Yonke Solar Farm 2020
Approximately 8,640 solar panels on an area of 15.55 acres
A 2 MegaWatt System
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Kankakee Community College Student Success Center
Remodel 2019-2020
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Mizkan, America Inc (Mount Prospect)
9,700 SF | $840 k | 8 months
The project consisted of 3 main phases of work. In phase 1, we converted an old office space into a new Pilot Plant, R&D Lab, Lounge, Office, and Bathroom/Locker Rooms. All the existing slabs were demoed to prepare for new underground waste lines and drains servicing the Pilot Plant and R&D Lab along with major electrical infrastructure upgrades that needed to take place to power new equipment . Phase 2 consisted of converting recently vacated existing spaces into Dry Storage, Conference Rooms, Gender Neutral Bathroom, Additional Locker Rooms, and Upgraded Office Space. Phase 3 consisted of cleaning up, minor modifications, and re-certification of a separate existing pilot plant, for new usage. A future Phase 4 is in planning to expand the existing test kitchen and provide modifications to another existing R&D lab space. (Click for additional pictures.)
Hauser-Ross Eye Institute (Sycamore)
36,500 SF | $8.4 m | 12 months
From cornfield to state-of-the-art facility - The Hauser Ross Eye Institute was a skillfully designed and executed ground up project. The project design included a technologically advanced and fully integrated eye care facility featuring an optical shop, four surgical suites, laboratories, offices, exam rooms and cafeteria. There is a cosmetic surgery room and the latest WaveLight laser surgery system, which is made available for viewing during procedures with patient authorization. (Click for additional pictures.)