Lindsey Beane

Building Statistics

Building Name: Harris Theatre for Music and Dance
Location and site: Millennium Park, 175 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL
Building Occupant Name: Chicago Music and Dance Theater
Occupancy or Function types: Theatre
Size: 130,000 sf
Number of Stories above grade: 1 story above grade with 8 partial stories total

Primary Project Team:

Architect:
Hammond Beeby Rupert Ainge
440 North Wells Street, Suite 630
Chicago, IL 60610

Project Manager:
The Rise Group
120 South LaSalle Street, Suite 1750
Chicago, IL 60604

Associate Architect:
Kathryn Quinn Architects
363 West Erie, Suite 3W
Chicago, IL 60610

Cost Estimating:
Capital Control Systems
100 West Roosevelt Road, Suite B8-202
Wheaton, IL 60187

Structural Engineers:
Thornton Tomasetti Engineers
14 East Jackson Blvd, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60604

MEP and Fire Protection Engineer:
Environmental Systems Design Inc.
55 East Monroe Street, Suite 1660
Chicago, IL 60603

Acoustical Consultant:
Jaffe Holden Acoustics
114A West Ashington Street
Norwalk, CT 06854

Life Safety Consultant
Rolf Jensen & Associates
549 West Randolph Street, 5th Floor
Chicago, IL 60661

Graphic Artist:
Studio Blue
9 West Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL 60610

Theatre Consultant
Schuler Shook
213 West Institute Place
Chicago, IL 60610

Construction Dates: Began February 2002 and Completed November 2003

Actual Cost Information: This information is not available for public notice. A press release notes that the Harris Family made a $15 million donation as well as a $24 million loan for the construction to begin.

Project Delivery Method: Guaranteed Maximum Price

Architecture: The Harris Theatre for Music and Dance is a new building located in the heart of Chicago in Millenium Park. This building was completed construction in November 2003, and is now hosting mid-sized performance groups of operas, choirs, and ballets. The modernly finished theatre seats 1525 people stretches a full 6 stories underground. The building also houses theatre staff and accommodates visiting organizations with dressing rooms, storage and lounge areas. The building is conveniently accessed by patrons on the street or through the shared underground parking garage at Millenium Park. The theatre was designed for great performance and a minimalistic approach to finishes allows for affordable tickets.

Major national Model codes: City of Chicago Building Code, 2000 Edition

Zoning Information: Class C-1 Large Assembly (13-56-080)
High Rise Building (13-76)

Historical Requirements: Does not apply to this project.

Building envelope: The majority of the building is underground, so the exterior walls are load bearing precast concrete. There is one portion of the building above ground which is the entrance to the lobby space. The envelope at the lobby entrance is precast concrete for the outside walls, and the front of the entrance is glazing with minimal steel supports

Electrical: The power distribution for Harris Theatre provides both 480/277V and 208/120V. There are a total of 35 panel boards which service the lighting loads, electrical outlets, and stage equipment. The 208 system services the lighting loads for most of the building and also the dimmer racks for the auditorium lighting. The 480 services the rest of the building power including mechanical systems and motors. The emergency system is run on from a 425KVA/340KW generator which services all of the emergency systems including the fire pump.

Lighting: The lighting throughout the entire building is very diverse because of the dynamics of the building uses. One the public side of the theater there are nice finishes and aesthetically pleasing lighting fixtures. Then on the behind-the-scenes side of the building there are very utilitarian fixtures. Fluorescent lighting is used in a majority of the building with the exception of the stage lighting in the theater. For aesthetics in the public spaces colored lighting was obtained by using color gels over many fluorescent fixtures. The stage lighting utilizes metal halide lamps to reach high illuminance levels and also save on energy usage. These ideas are also transferred into other accent lighting found throughout the building.

Mechanical: The mechanical system for Harris Theatre has four air handling unit that range from 20,000 cfm to 45,000 cfm. The system also utilizes (16) two pipe fan coil units which are services. Many of the ducts are oversized avoid noise in the auditorium. The auditorium uses a system which deliveries the air from the ceiling and the return is below the seating.

Structural: The foundation is compiled of caissons, grade beams and then concrete slabs. The main structural element for the walls of the entire building is precast concrete. There is steel framing in the balcony and stage areas and these W shape beams range in size. There are 8, 10, 12, and 14 sizes in different weights as well.

Fire Protection: The main fire pump has a capacity of 750GPM and has power supply by the emergency generator. The system is a wet system with a hose allowance of 250GPM.

Transportation: The public has access to elevators in the lobby area and also to the street level through elevators maintained by the adjacent underground parking garage. The lobby area has two public elevators for use during performances, and there is a freight elevator to transport props and set equipment.

Special systems: The theater has a few special systems to accommodate the special functions of a theater. In the auditorium space there are catwalks that run along the sides and also above the seating. These catwalks are used for acoustic, mechanical, and lighting accessibility. There is also special rigging and catwalks above the stage area that are very intricate and well designed. Another special item that services the theater are the 6 dimmer racks which control the stage lighting and auditorium lighting. The audio system is also a major specialty system with over 50 available speaker plug boxes and high tech controls.