Location
28 N. Clark
Owner
Flashpoint Academy
Architect
Valerio Dewalt Train Associates
Flashpoint Academy is a new media arts and sciences school occupying 58,000 sf on two floors (plus a small storefront street-level space) in the Burnham Center (aka 111 W. Washington). The two-year school will offer four areas of study: cinema, recording arts, gaming and animation - their new space includes classrooms, computer labs, recording facilities, a directing stage, a screening room, an information commons, a motion-capture studio, and student lounges to support these studies. The project is seeking LEED-CI Silver certification, and similar to the Spertus Institute, demonstrates that a sleek, contemporary design can still be green - you don't have to live and work in a hobbit hole to be green.
The project includes some energy and water reduction strategies slightly more aggressive than seen on the most basic tenant improvement projects. This includes use of LED light fixtures in some locations and advanced lighting and mechanical controls - not just the typical daylight-responsive dimming of lighting, but also automatic reduction of ventilation and cooling rates in unoccupied rooms. Typically, specifying all Energy Star rated equipment is a no-brainer, but here it may or may not be possible because of the need for specialized media production equipment. Low-flow plumbing fixtures include dual-flush toilets - popular on residential projects, but still unusual on commercial projects because of owner concerns about user education
There's the usual mix of green materials and construction practices expected on any LEED-CI project. Flashpoint is also producing a video documenting the construction of their space, complete with time-lapse footage and interviews with project team members. This video will be provided to the City of Chicago and will be a great instructional tool for other commercial building tenants considering a green tenant improvement project.
Flashpoint is scheduled for completion August 15, 2007. Other project team members include general contractor Valenti Builders, MEP and structural engineer Arup, lighting designer Lighting Design Alliance, commissioning agent EME, acoustical consultant Shiner + Associates, and renderings by Visualized Concepts.
A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT GREENBEAN
About GreenBean
GreenBean is a news and discussion forum dedicated to reporting on built, in-progress, and unbuilt green building projects in Chicago.
GreenBean is written and maintained by Erik Olsen, PE. Erik is a mechanical engineer, green building advocate, and Green Projects Administrator for the Chicago Department of Construction and Permit, where he manages the Green Permit Program. All projects are posted on GreenBean with the owner or architect's permission independent of the City of Chicago.
Erik is a resident of Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood and an Indiana native. He is a graduate of Purdue University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a licensed professional engineer in Illinois.