Zinc panels give Chicago boathouse dynamic design

by Samantha Ashenhurst | June 22, 2018 4:16 pm

[1]

Eleanor Boathouse[2] in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood is the last of four new boathouses and river-launches developed by the city’s Park District to reclaim the long-neglected Chicago River as a major system of water-based recreation.

“The Chicago River boathouses are part of a new environmentally friendly vision for the city’s river,” said Jeanne Gang, founding principal of design firm Studio Gang Architects[3]. “By making the riverfront a destination for recreation, anchored by dynamic sustainable architecture, we hope to catalyze long-term stewardship and support of the river’s remediation.”

[4]

Eleanor Boathouse’s uneven, jutting form was designed to reflect the movement of rowing, with alternating roof trusses representing a rising oar’s rhythm and motion. Comprised of two buildings—a field house and a boat storage area—the 1765-m² (19,000-sf) facility features cladding incorporating architectural zinc in both its roof and façade applications. A highly malleable material, zinc suited the structure’s unique shape, while also offering strength and longevity. Entirely recyclable, the material carries a potential lifespan of more than 100 years.

“It is a ‘full zinc’ job with both the façade and the roof,” said Ryan Broom of Illinois-based Bennett & Brosseau Roofing, the contractor that performed the installation. “It provides a great quality look and allows more architectural detailing than can be done with many other metals.”

The roof of Eleanor Boathouse is covered with approximately 2137 m² (23,000 sf) of double-lock standing-seam zinc panels, while an additional 929 m² (10,000 sf) of diagonally installed small-format rectangular zinc tiles were applied to the facility’s exterior walls.

Eleanor Boathouse received a Grand Award at the 2018 Metal Architecture[5] Design Awards, as well as a Blue Ribbon from the Friends of the Chicago River[6] Blue Awards program. (The facility was also featured on the cover of the October 2017[7] issue of The Construction Specifier.)

Source URL: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/zinc-panels-give-chicago-boathouse-dynamic-design/

---