^{_{Precast Brings to Life the Classical Look of Old Finance}}

The Chicago suburb of Wheaton, Ill. is noted for its conservative and traditional values. The theme carries through to the town's architecture, which is abounded by colonial-style buildings. Limestone is the material of choice of many facades, and is exemplified in a picturesque turn-of-the-century Romanesque courthouse.
It was this strong contextual setting that reinforced the vision for a new $23.5 million office building that serves as a significant anchor to the anticipated expansion of downtown redevelopment south of a commuter rail. Anchor tenant Wheaton Property Partners and developer Opus North wanted to convey durability, permanence and civic-mindedness. To achieve this ambitious expression, the team recommended an architectural precast facade from High Concrete Group LLC.

Neoclassical Aesthetic
Opus North prefers architectural precast in order to meet the constraints of its construction schedules and to perform reliably long term. However, "as developers we would not do this design on a spec basis," Opus architect Rob Ezerins notes. "This is very peculiar to the owner's and tenant's shared vision."

The five-story, 141,000 square foot building is finished in acid-etched buff-colored precast. The design team used stone formliner to create cornices and rustications that formed 20-inch x 36-inch "blocks" that break up the mass of the large panels. The image recreates the finish and texture of Joliet limestone without betraying that it's precast, to be true to the 100-year old buildings nearby. Striking 5-foot x 3-foot keystones top the large arched windows.
The design team made the intricate detailing feasible through economic and repetitive use of building components that made efficient use of the project's precast forms. "The formwork at High's Paxton, Ill. factory was built with the same care as wood furniture," says Ezerins. "The High team was very mindful in helping us realize the client's vision."

Daylighting and Nighttime Image
Daylighting with large window openings was a major part of the project conception, which had to be balanced with the look of a load-bearing structure typical of classical buildings. The windows were made as large as possible to allow light in and to make the building more marketable. In fact, the building has as much glass area as many more contemporary office buildings. However, there is not a stitch of curtainwall because it would be antithetical to the traditional look.

The building's nighttime image was carefully planned to emphasize the building's features from the street. Sconces placed between rusticated portions bring out the formliner textures on the lower floors. LED uplighting at each of the piers on the third story sill reinforces the stone image from a distance.