An upgraded locker room, expanded weight room, and updated dining room with an outdoor patio greeted the Chicago Bears when they arrived at Halas Hall for practice this month. The improvements are part of a major expansion and renovation of the Bears’ headquarters in Lake Forest, Ill., completed by Mortenson Construction in less than seven months, the time between National Football League seasons.
“Despite the very tight turnaround, Mortenson has done a first-class job from start to finish,” says John Bostrom, vice president of business administration for the Chicago Bears. “They put in long hours, successfully working around our staff and coaches who continued to use the facility during construction, and completed all of the improvements in time for the team to take full advantage of them this season.”
The renovation has enhanced both player and business facilities, including the addition of a world-class broadcasting center that has already enabled the Bears to launch a new weekly television program. “With the expansion and upgrades, the Bears organization has strengthened its competitiveness on and off the field with state-of-the-art resources for players, coaches and staff,” says Greg Werner, vice president and head of the Chicago office of Mortenson Construction.
Mortenson expanded Halas Hall by more than 43,000 square feet to a total of 143,350 square feet. As part of the renovation, it enlarged the weight room and training room while installing new lighting, lockers, and carpeting in the locker room. Mortenson added offices and conference rooms with upgraded technology as well as a viewing suite overlooking the team’s practice fields.
A new event center includes a 4,000-square foot broadcast studio and conference center, new press conference room and additional work space for media. At the event center, the Bears are putting the finishing touches on a special interactive space featuring team information and memorabilia, including some never-before-featured pieces of Bears history such as the 1963 NFL championship trophy.
Mortenson drew on extensive experience, having built more than 100 sports and event centers totaling more than $4 billion, for the Halas Hall project.
About Mortenson Construction
Founded in 1954, Mortenson Construction is a U.S.-based, privately held construction company. As one of the nation's top builders, Mortenson provides a complete range of services, including planning, program management, preconstruction, general contracting, construction management, design-build, and development. With a local office in Chicago, Mortenson has additional offices in Minneapolis, Denver, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Seattle and international operations in Canada and China.
Related Stories
Sponsored | Resiliency | Dec 14, 2022
Flood protection: What building owners need to know to protect their properties
This course from Walter P Moore examines numerous flood protection approaches and building owner needs before delving into the flood protection process. Determining the flood resilience of a property can provide a good understanding of risk associated costs.
Architects | Dec 14, 2022
Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, named 2023 AIA Gold Medal honoree
The Board of Directors and the Strategic Council of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) are honoring Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, with the 2023 Gold Medal. The Gold Medal honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 14, 2022
In Flint, Mich., a new health center brings together children’s mental and physical health services
Families with children who experience behavioral health issues often have to travel to multiple care facilities to see multiple teams of specialists. In Flint, Mich., the new Center for Children’s Integrated Services at Genesee Health System (GHS), a public mental health provider, brings together all of the GHS children’s programs, including its behavioral health programs, under one roof. It provides families a single destination for their children’s mental healthcare.
Sponsored | Multifamily Housing | Dec 14, 2022
Urban housing revival: 3 creative multifamily housing renovations
This continuing education course from Bruner/Cott & Associates highlights three compelling projects that involve reimagining unlikely buildings for compelling multifamily housing developments.
Multifamily Housing | Dec 13, 2022
Top 106 multifamily housing kitchen and bath amenities – get the full report (FREE!)
Multifamily Design+Construction's inaugural “Kitchen+Bath Survey” of multifamily developers, architects, contractors, and others made it clear that supply chain problems are impacting multifamily housing projects.
Green | Dec 9, 2022
Reaching carbon neutrality in building portfolios ranks high for organizations
Reaching carbon neutrality with their building portfolios ranks high in importance among sustainability goals for organizations responding to a Honeywell/Reuters survey of senior executives at 187 large, multinational corporations. Nearly nine in 10 respondents (87%) say that achieving carbon neutrality in their building portfolio is either extremely (58%) or somewhat (29%) important in relation to their overall ESG goals. Only 4% of respondents called it unimportant.
Green | Dec 9, 2022
Newly formed Net Zero Built Environment Council aims to decarbonize the built world
Global management consulting firm McKinsey recently launched the Net Zero Built Environment Council, a cross-sector coalition of industry stakeholders aiming to decarbonize the built world. The council’s chief goal is to collaboratively create new pathways to cut greenhouse gas emissions from buildings.
High-rise Construction | Dec 7, 2022
SOM reveals its design for Singapore’s tallest skyscraper
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has revealed its design for 8 Shenton Way—a mixed-use tower that will stand 63 stories and 305 meters (1,000 feet) high, becoming Singapore’s tallest skyscraper. The design team also plans to make the building one of Asia’s most sustainable skyscrapers. The tower incorporates post-pandemic design features.
Office Buildings | Dec 7, 2022
Software giant SAP opens engineering academy for its global engineering workforce
Software giant SAP has opened its new SAP Academy for Engineering on the company’s San Ramon, Calif. campus. Designed by HGA, the Engineering Academy will provide professional development opportunities for SAP’s global engineering workforce. At the Engineering Academy, cohorts from SAP offices across the globe will come together for intensive, six-month training programs.
Multifamily Housing | Dec 7, 2022
Canada’s largest net-zero carbon residential community to include affordable units
The newly unveiled design for Canada’s largest net-zero carbon residential community includes two towers that will create a new destination within Ottawa and form a striking gateway into LeBreton Flats. The development will be transit-oriented, mixed-income, mixed-use, and include unprecedented sustainability targets. Dream LeBreton is a partnership between real estate companies Dream Asset Management, Dream Impact, and local non-profit MultiFaith Housing Initiative.
