2121 Avenue of the Stars  (Nakatomi Plaza) Presented by Jim Zorn, Zorn Facade Solutions Inc. On Christmas Eve, 1988, a group of terrorists led by Hans Gruber took the Nakatomi employees hostage during their Christmas party. Although the group of terrorists appeared to be motivated by freeing political prisoners, they were actually after $640 million inRead More

Bioclimatic Skins for the Future Environment  Presented by:  Luke Leung, PE, ASHRAE Fellow, BEMP, P Eng - Principal Skdimore, Owings  & Merrill Bioclimatic Skins for the Future Environment - While building physics are based largely on Newtonian principles, physics outside of the built environment have been moving towards quantum mechanics.   This presentation will start to see environmentalRead More

High Rise Healing: Ten Years After – Trends and Lessons Presented by Douglas J. King AIA, CSI, NCARB, ACHA Ten years ago this coming March, Mr. King gave a presentation to the Chicago Committee on High Rise Buildings on “High Rise Hospitals.” This presentation stemmed from a viral blog he wrote for Building Design andRead More

Challenges with Energy Storage Systems in Large Buildings Presented by: JENS CONZEN, Dipl.-Ing., EUR ING, MSc, MBA, Jensen Hughes, INC. Program: Energy storage systems (ESS) are increasingly being integrated into buildings to help balance supply and demand, enhance operational efficiency, and reduce energy costs. As these systems become more widespread, they also bring with them someRead More

Book Tower Presented by: Suzanne Provanzana, Buro Happold, Principal | US Structures Discipline Lead Originally opened in 1926, the Louis Kamper-designed tower stands as a prominent feature of Detroit’s skyline and was once envisioned as the anchor of a new commercial corridor running through the city center. The Tower, built for the Book brothers, aRead More

Save the Date - Annual Business Meeting This meeting is schedule to address all-member business items. This meeting will take place at: Waterview 350 W Wolff Point Plaza 15th Floor, Chicago, IL 60654 The committee meeting will start at the usual time 5:00 pm in the Waterview Lounge with drinks and appetizers. At 6:00 pm we willRead More

Mass Timber Buildings:  After the Fire Assessment and Repairs Are Probably Not What You Would Expect Presented by:  Carl Baldassarra, PE, FSFPE, Senior Principal, Fire Protection Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc; Richard Kristie, PE, SE, Principal, Structural Engineer, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. ABOUT THE PRESENTATION Within less than the past two decades, changes in manufacturingRead More

Designing for Efficiency: Envelope Considerations in Energy Codes Presented by Allison McSherry RA, BECxP, CxA+BE, LEED AP BD+C, CEM, NCARB -  Associate V | A/E Group , Klein & Hoffman The ever-evolving energy codes require designers to stay on top of each new iteration and understand the impact early design decisions have on all aspectsRead More

Davenport Hotel Partial Collapse Presented by:  William D. Bast, PE, SE, SECB, SOCOTEC Engineering, Inc Principal - MidWest Regional Director. Program: The presentation will focus on the investigation of the events and details of the partial collapse of the 6-story former Davenport Hotel that occurred on May 28, 2023. The City of Davenport hired WhiteRead More

Chicago’s Role in the Modern Concrete Skyscraper Presented Thomas Leslie, FAIA The current exhibition at the Skyscraper Museum in New York City, “The Modern Concrete Skyscraper,” explores the history of this ubiquitous, but often invisible, material in high-rise construction from Roman times to the present day.  In it, the Museum’s Executive Director, Carol Willis, andRead More