Project Overview
A new home for expert care and same-day surgery, the Bruno & Sallie Pasquinelli Outpatient Surgery Center is a six-level, 200,000 ft² specialty care with a neo-Gothic aesthetic created with precast concrete. Located on the campus of
the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System in the heart of the Chicago, Ill., medical district, the surgery center features two levels of same-day surgery suites, three levels of specialty clinics, and a ground floor with admission, pharmacy, and imaging services.
Cost-Effective Customization
During the schematic design phase of the project, brick pilasters were specified for the building’s exterior. But as the project team, which included PCI-certified precast concrete producer International Concrete Products of Germantown, Wis., ZGF Architects of Portland, Ore., and Shive Hattery of Chicago, further discussed the approach, they collectively decided that precast concrete panels would allow for a quicker installation and a customized solution.
“We investigated several options, including rainscreens and curtain walls,” said Thomas Longhi, Shive Hattery’s practice leader. “Deep down, I felt precast concrete would be the best option from a cost-value perspective.”
To meet the project’s budget and pro forma, the design team worked closely with the developer and contractor to source local, cost-effective solutions for the building envelope. This led them to International Concrete Products, which worked with the design team to find a bespoke solution. The depth and texture of each precast concrete panel were tested for shade, shadow, and scale, and the design team selected a custom sawtooth texture that fluctuates in appearance both throughout the day and throughout the seasons. The surgery center’s vertical precast concrete panels reflect the neo-Gothic architecture of the existing campus, complementing the structures around it.
The project team had to design the panels to span two and three floors while retaining floor-to-floor movement joints at every level. A false joint was cast into the panels to allow for the continuous expression of the horizontal joint. Additionally, the exposed tops of the sawtooth panels were designed with a slope, eliminating the need for a parapet cap. The serrations that make up the sawtooth panels create visually stunning shade and shadow for the structure. Modularity among the panels provides fluctuation in depth and shadow on the building’s various elevations, maximizing daylight while reducing solar gain.
In addition to its aesthetic advantages, the project team chose precast concrete because its use would accelerate the erection schedule. “Speed to market was a significant factor in selecting precast concrete,” Longhi said. He also noted that the use of building information modeling (BIM) was critical. “The project team collaborated in the BIM model to develop exact shop drawings. These drawings were used to fabricate all the panels while the steel was being erected,” he explained.
“Even before the steel was complete, panels began to go up at a tremendous pace. We did not have to wait for anything—and this was accomplished in summer 2020 when everything was shut down.”
The completed Bruno & Sallie Pasquinelli Outpatient Surgery Center offers the community an incredible space for medical care that is a transformative addition to the University of Illinois medical campus.
Mason Nichols is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based writer and editor who has covered the precast concrete industry since 2013. |