American Hospital Association Moves Into New 118,000-SF Headquarters at 155 N. Wacker

Designed by Partners by DESIGN; Built by Leopardo Companies; Pursuing LEED Silver

CHICAGO, Illinois (May 28, 2010) – American Hospital Association (AHA) recently moved into its new 118,000-square-foot headquarters on four and a half floors at 155 N. Wacker Dr. The newly finished space, which is pursuing LEED Silver Certification, was designed by Partners by DESIGN incorporated and built by Leopardo Companies.

The facility maximizes transparency through spatial arrangement of offices, workstations and ancillary functions. Use of transparent, translucent and reflective materials in combination with warm wood tones and natural materials provides a relaxing spa-like environment in which to work.

AHA’s mission was to provide a facility that empowers employees to be energized to succeed through a thoughtful, open environment, incorporating natural light and ancillary “outside the office” workspaces.

Integration of AHA branding elements throughout the space reinforces information flow between groups as well as the AHA organizational overview. Gallery spaces were dispersed throughout the facility whereby history and future are brought together through fixed and multi-media elements.

Behind the scenes, Leopardo installed state-of-the-art mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, including Lutron lighting systems, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), pre-action fire protection and a direct digital control (DDC) HVAC system with 24-hour cooling. A data center supported by nine intermediate distribution frame (IDF) rooms for wiring were completed on an accelerated schedule seven weeks prior to substantial completion.

The AHA project team consisted of Project Manager Ken Soltis Associates with Partners by DESIGN incorporated as architect and Leopardo Companies as general contractor.