Masonry Magazine August 1980 Page. 23
Hamilton Lakes Project Gets a Lift from Masonry Panels
One of the most innovative and exciting concepts in masonry today is being utilized in Hamilton Lakes, the largest office park under construction in Chicago's suburbs.
The innovation is preassembled masonry panels. Each is shipped complete with steel inserts, masonry ties and handling and erection devices built into each panel so that they can be quickly and easily connected to the supporting structure.
"Using the preassembled panel system, we estimated a 15 percent initial cost savings over conventional high-rise masonry construction by virtually eliminating the need for scaffolding, miscellaneous angle iron work, and other costs as well as a three-month time savings in enclosing the structure," says David Kirby, project manager for The Trammell Crow Company, the site's developer. "When we initially contracted with Vet-O-Vitz Masonry Systems, the panel manufacturer, we estimated a 2 to 3 percent breakage factor. To date, damage has been practically non-existent."
Showpiece for Chicago's Suburbs
The decorative possibilities of brick panels are highlighted in their use in the exterior sheathing of a 420-room, Stouffer-operated hotel called "The Hamilton," which is structured about a 12-story atrium; a 14-story, 484,000-sq. ft. office tower, and a three-story connector building. When complete, the complex will form the cen-
(Left) Special trailers haul the panels to the Hamilton Lakes project site in Itasca, II., near Chicago. The panels are stacked in the position in which they will be attached to the building. The skeletal frame of The Hamilton, which is structured around a 12-story atrium, rises in the background.
A crane lifts and sets into place each preassembled masonry panel at the Hamilton Lakes office tower. The roof band panels weigh as much as 9,000 lbs. and measure 15 ft. long by 28 in. wide by 10 ft. high plus soffit.
Architect's rendering shows the 420-room hotel, "The Hamilton," at left; the 14-story, 484,000 sq. ft. office tower, right, and a three-story connector building in the center. More than 1,550 preassembled masonry panels will provide the exterior sheathing for the complex.
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