The PORCELANOSA Grupo companies and the Krueck & Sexton architecture studio will incorporate several technical solutions to reinforce the main facade of this US financial complex.
The refurbishment process will end in April 2020 and it will see double curvature sheets used which adapt to the original design by the architects.
Built in 1898 as a market for agricultural products (Chicago Butter and Egg Board) and considered as a non-profit society, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange building is today one of the most important stock exchange buildings in the United States.
Since its merger with the Chicago Board of Trade in 2007 and the subsequent integration into the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and COMEX, the popularity and volume of its economic assets, namely: stock indexes, currencies, energy, agricultural products, metals and investment products; has increased over the past few years. Indeed, the boom and transformation that this financial complex has experienced with the incorporation of new areas and departments has brought about a comprehensive refurbishment.
Restoring the façade without losing its original essence
To achieve this, PORCELANOSA Grupo has worked together with the architecture company, Krueck + Sexton Architects, and it will incorporate the most durable technical solutions and products in terms of façade refurbishment. Hence, the company, Butech, has made a 1:1 scale model of the 350m2 project to turn that plan design into reality.
This is a project in which Butech will include more than one thousand pieces from KrionTM (1100 Snow White EAST) with some of its most advanced anchoring and building systems, such as K-Bolt or K-Fix for ventilated facades. During the assembly of the façade, Butech’s technical staff has moved to Chicago to oversee all the work phases and the correct installation of its materials. Work that is being done by the company, Reflection Windows and Walls.
The K-Bolt system has been used in most of the sheet installation, while the K-Fix system reinforces more complex areas like the corners, where KrionTM was applied in double curvature. The strength of this mineral compact against extreme weather conditions, moisture, fire and its high flexural capacity all reinforce this building’s consistency.
The facade refurbishment will take place in four phases and its completion is scheduled for April 2020. In the first phase 3200m2 will be completed; the second 3000m2; the third 1000m2 and 700m2 in the fourth and last.
Architects: Krueck + Sexton Architects
Local builder: Lendlease
Engineering: Thornton Tomasetti
Supervision by Butech PORCELANOSA Grupo.
Photographs: Imagen Subliminal
