Columbia College

Bird-safe printed façade in Georgia (USA) for the project

The historic building at 600 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago has undergone significant urban renewal and restoration in the past century. In 2006, Columbia College purchased the building and did extensive renovations to the interior. Then, primarily for safety reasons, in 2010 the exterior façade needed to be redone.

Because the building is located in the Historic Michigan Boulevard Chicago Landmark District, the design of the new façade had to meet the approval of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Columbia College explored many façade replacement options, including replicating the original terra cotta. However, the costs associated with that approach far exceeded what the college could afford. Instead, Columbia, under the design leadership of Gensler, created a revolutionary solution that turned a mandatory maintenance project into an artistic endeavor.

The team rigorously developed and tested a series of pattern typologies. It was critical that the pattern be readable at multiple scales and offer multiple meanings. Looking closely, observers will notice that the image of the original terra cotta façade is created from a dot-matrix pattern with “dots” that are small graphics of a bird.

The façade serves two purposes: a subtle reference to the building’s location along a major migratory path for birds and a protective screen to prevent birds from colliding with the glass.

The American Bird Association helped Gensler to certify their pattern, and fortunately, it helped reduce bird collisions by more than 80%.

ARCHITECT

Gensler

GLASS PROCESSOR

Oldcastle

BuildingEnvelope ®

PRINTED AREA

1000 sqm

10,764 sqf

NUMBER OF PANELS

374

TYPE OF GLASS