When news hits of an Illinois Governor attempting to sell something related to the government, people typically start to wonder how long the prison sentence will be. In this instance, however, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s intentions aren’t quite so nefarious as the past may have you believe.
The James R. Thompson Center, a 17-story structure designed by Helmut Jahn and completed in 1985, houses offices of the Illinois state government and has been described by Rauner as “ineffective,” “inefficient,” and “in disrepair,” according to dnainfo.com.
Due to the building’s shortcomings, Rauner is once again attempting to sell it following an unsuccessful attempt in 2015. According to Rauner’s office, a sale of the building would net $220 million and eliminate having to pay $326 million in deferred maintenance bills.
In an attempt to prove more successful than his prior efforts to sell, Rauner is using a conceptual study and renderings from Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture to show the site’s potential.
One rendering replaces the Thompson Center, and the full city block it sits on, with three towers. The other, more striking rendering, imagines what the site would look like with a new 1,700-foot-tall tower.
Rauner is hoping these conceptual designs will have the same effect as staging a home has for helping potential buyers envision what can be done with the space.
Even if buyers are interested after seeing the renderings, Rauner’s plans for selling the building are again subject to approval from the Illinois General Assembly, which denied his attempt at a sale back in 2015.
The three towers on the Thompson site as viewed from Clark Street. Rendering courtesy of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
CHPS debuts high-performance building products database
The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) made a new tool available to product manufacturers to help customers identify building products that contribute to sustainable, healthy, built environments. The tool is an online, searchable database where manufacturers can list products that have met certain environmental or health standards ranging from recycled content to materials that contribute to improved indoor air quality.
| Aug 11, 2010
ICC launches green construction code initiative for commercial buildings
The International Code Council has launched its International Green Construction Code (IGCC) initiative, which will aim to reduce energy usage and the carbon footprint of commercial buildings.Entitled “IGCC: Safe and Sustainable By the Book,” the initiative is committed to develop a model code focused on new and existing commercial buildings. It will focus on building design and performance.
| Aug 11, 2010
Green Building Initiative launches two certification programs for green building professionals
The Green Building Initiative® (GBI), one of the nation’s leading green building organizations and exclusive provider of the Green Globes green building certification in the United States, today announced the availability of two new personnel certification programs for green building practitioners: Green Globes Professional (GGP) and Green Globes Assessor (GGA).
| Aug 11, 2010
Potomac Valley Brick launches brick design competition with $10,000 grand prize
Potomac Valley Brick presents Brick-stainable: Re-Thinking Brick a design competition seeking integrative solutions for a building using clay masonry units (brick) as a primary material.
| Aug 11, 2010
Outdated office tower becomes Nashville’s newest boutique hotel
A 1960s office tower in Nashville, Tenn., has been converted into a 248-room, four-star boutique hotel. Designed by Earl Swensson Associates, with PowerStrip Studio as interior designer, the newly converted Hutton Hotel features 54 suites, two penthouse apartments, 13,600 sf of meeting space, and seven “cardio” rooms.
| Aug 11, 2010
HDR, Perkins+Will top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 100 largest healthcare design firms
A ranking of the Top 100 Healthcare Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Steel Joist Institute announces 2009 Design Awards
The Steel Joist Institute is now accepting entries for its 2009 Design Awards. The winning entries will be announced in November 2009 and the company with the winning project in each category will be awarded a $2,000 scholarship in its name to a school of its choice for an engineering student.
