Deerfield Firm, The Structural Group, Wins 2019 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award
Chicago, IL: Winners of the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI) 2019 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards were announced at the 2019 Annual Banquet, held on June 22, 2019, at Ignite Glass Studio in Chicago, IL. Lake Shore Drive Residence by Deerfield based The Structural Group, received the Best Structure award in the Up to $10 Million category.
Lake Shore Drive Residence is a 1911 landmarked building designed by Holabird and Roche and one of only seven remaining single-family residences on Lake Shore Drive. The design team was challenged with restoring the elegant structure while updating it for the needs of the 21st century.
The gut renovation included restoration of the masonry facade, stabilization of the foundations, and, incredibly, installation of a new below-grade parking garage accessed from the side yard. The new garage required a new concrete and structural steel frame inserted into the side facade and reconstruction of the kitchen floor above the garage with a highly engineered ultra thin floor structure to achieve needed vehicle clearances.
The architects deftly detailed the new garage entry, as if original to the facade. The construction team executed the underpinning of the five-story masonry structure and installation of the frame flawlessly.
The design competition takes place each year to recognize excellence in structural engineering. Entry is open to members and their projects throughout the country. Lake Shore Drive Residence was submitted by The Structural Group.
In addition to The Structural Group as structural engineer, the team included HBRA Architects as architect and Sylvester Construction Services as general contractor.
The Structural Group is a Deerfield-based structural engineering firm providing expert engineering services for new building projects as well as historic rehabilitation and adaptive reuse projects in the Chicago metropolitan area and 25 states throughout the US.