Award
2021 Merit Award
Site
Chicago, IL
Client
Owner: The Old Post Office, Client: Gensler
Category
Design
Landscape Architects
Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects
Project Details
Through historically minded restoration and re-positioning, the long-vacant 2.8 million-square-foot Chicago Post Office has been brought back to life as a hub for business and commerce. The rooftop serves as an escape for the building’s 16,000 tenants, providing them with access to over 40,000 plants and trees, expansive city views, and ample room for social distancing. At 3.5 acres, the space is the largest private rooftop in the country and also includes a quarter-mile running track, multi-sports court, and two platform tennis courts.
The rooftop was designed with sustainability and energy efficiency in mind. The urban meadows and trees prevent more than a quarter-million gallons of stormwater from becoming polluted runoff. More than 50 species of plants capture over one million pounds of CO2 and decrease energy consumption as well as the emission of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. Three colonies of bees call The Meadow home, protecting and maintaining its ecosystem.
Project Team
Gensler, BEAR Construction Company, Christy Webber Landscapes, JLL, Telos Group, MacRostie Historic Advisors, Alvéole Urban Beekeeping, Columbia Green Technologies