Michelson Center for Physics
The adaptive reuse of the Michelson Center for Physics building transformed the existing midcentury modern building into a 21st century research center.
Lead Contact
Project Details
Project Partners
Perkins Eastman
Owner
The University Of Chicago
Location
Chicago, Illinois
Completion Date
Area
175.000 ft²
Project Awards
ENR Midwest, Award of Merit: Higher Education/Research and Safety, 2018
Overview
The adaptive reuse of the Michelson Center for Physics building transformed the existing midcentury modern building into a 21st century research center, through a gut renovation, a new enclosure, and a two-story vertical expansion over an existing structure. The existing two-story concrete structure was expanded by adding two additional stories of steel construction.
We provided structural design services to Perkins Eastman for the renovation, which completed in 2018.
Highlights
- The existing concrete core walls were extended to provide lateral stability to the new construction.
- Perimeter beams support new cladding over the entirety of the building.
- The new seminar room cantilevers off the southeast corner of the building, providing an inspirational meeting space and linking the building with a new campus center in the quad now bounded by other significant campus medical and science facilities.