Sparking community growth: this was Chicago city leaders’ goal for moving the Chicago Park District’s headquarters to the underserved Brighton Park community. As general contractor, the Paschen ALL Joint Venture helped make this vision a reality, leading the construction of the 79,000-SF building with three distinct spaces:

Administrative Building – The 57,000-SF, multi-story, circular administrative headquarters building required a staggered construction approach to ensure timely completion. We provided a range of site improvements, including parking, walkways, and outdoor lighting.

Fieldhouse – Sharing the footprint of the Administrative Building, the 22,000-SF fieldhouse includes a gymnasium, fitness center, bathrooms and locker rooms, multi-purpose rooms, staff offices, teen center, and welcome lobby.

Outdoor Recreational Space – Park improvements included two artificial turf athletic fields, lighting, grand lawn, walkways, a children’s playground, nature play areas, and a splash pad.

As with any construction project, our biggest challenge was to achieve the design vision without compromising construction quality. Due to the complexity of the construction and site conditions, however, we faced significant obstacles throughout the construction process that our quality control processes helped to address.

Our first and perhaps biggest quality challenge was MEP coordination.  Because the building is technically two buildings bisected by a courtyard/walkway at the center, the only physical connections between the building halves are three pedestrian bridges on the second story.  Further, the building has a mix of ceiling types, and only areas with accessible ceilings could have MEPs running above them. With all major home runs originating from the electrical & boiler rooms in the southwest quadrant of the building, the pedestrian bridge ceilings were the only space available to make the connections. To help accommodate the space needed for the connections, the project architect, John Ronan Architects (JRA), increased the height of the pedestrian bridges.

However, MEP connections were further complicated by load-bearing masonry with brace frames connecting the walls.  Each wall column line had to be evaluated to ensure the most efficient MEP routing and accessibility of valves and components without compromising wall strength due to the steel beams and joists bearing on the masonry walls. Addressing these challenges required consistent coordination between Paschen ALL Joint Venture, our subcontractors, and the design team. It also required BIM modeling.

BIM modeling allowed us to visualize the utility locations in the tight space while ensuring the accuracy of the connections. Our team was able to precisely coordinate all MEP openings to ensure CMU capacity was not compromised during construction. Using a 3D laser scan that was translated into a computer model, our BIM team used as-built penetrations as the walls were being constructed to facilitate MEP coordination. The computer model was available to the construction foreman, who could use it in real-time on tablets while in the field.

In addition to the complex MEP coordination, our team also faced a series of unknown site conditions that had the potential to add significant costs and schedule delays. The project site, which at various points throughout its history housed a livestock trading center, a railyard, and an array of heavy industry and manufacturing, was littered with old concrete walls, slab, and foundations as well as nine underground storage tanks that weren’t discovered until excavation began.  Because of this, the city allotted a $4M allowance to remove the unexpected obstacles. Through careful planning and layouts prior to work beginning, we were able to minimize the amount of concrete that required removal while safely decommissioning and removing all underground tanks using only about half of the allotted $4M allowance.

The $4M allowance from the city was also used to address the suitability of the soil at the site. The urban waste found at the site meant that the soil could not reach the bearing capacity required for utility piping or building foundations. The building’s foundations had to be undercut with stone to minimize soil settlement, and in certain areas, stone had to be added to the soil so that utility piping could be installed.  For all foundations and utility piping, we performed compaction testing of the soil. We then worked closely with the engineers to establish parameters that allowed for efficient solutions. This kept work progressing to undercut piping and forms, ensuring settling would not be a future issue. Using an independent testing lab, we were able to confirm the soil strength before installation and verified its continued capacity with further testing after the solution was implemented.

Finally, the project architect, JRA had a specific vision for every part of the project. For example, JRA’s design called for the use of recycled Chicago Common bricks collected from buildings demolished throughout the city to establish a visual, historical connection in the new structure.  Based on the material takeoffs, this meant a projected 650,000 recycled bricks had to be sourced, evaluated, and categorized for use, making availability a key concern.  As buildings were demolished throughout the city, our brick supplier would notify the team so that we could inspect the lots to ensure they met project standards. We divided the brick lots in AA, A, and B bricks, with walls given the priority by the design team. Throughout the process, we rejected over 100,000 bricks that did not meet quality standards.

Further, we provided numerous mockups on all features of the project, including several different types of concrete finish, brick patterns, expanded metal sunscreen, etc. For example, working closely with our curtainwall subcontractor, we created a full-size, two-panel mockup of the curtainwall to ensure constructability and to set expectations during construction. Moreover, our use of mockups ensured that the final work product met with the Owner and JRA’s intent and that all adjacent work/trades fit together seamlessly throughout the construction process all while meeting strict quality standards.

The key to success on this project wasn’t just the quality of our team’s construction. The true success is the positive impacts this project has had on the surrounding community. F.H. Paschen partnered with All Construction Group, a minority-owned business with strong ties to Chicago, and we exceeded the City’s M/WBE participation goals of 26% MBE and 6% WBE.  Our work created more than 300 construction jobs during the project and has permanently brought 200 Chicago Park District jobs to the area.

Moreover, the 17-acre site now provides parkland and amenities for the children and families living in the underserved Brighton Park community and offers a unique space that combines workplace and recreation and allows for community building activities.

The Paschen ALL Joint Venture deployed a comprehensive safety program at the site that addressed not only worker safety but the surrounding community as well. From weekly jobsite audits and toolbox talks to the daily completion of job hazard forms at the beginning of each work shift, our safety program ensured safe work practices at all levels. We also incorporated periodic site safety audits with our major subcontractors, creating an interactive safety culture across the project.

As part of our safety program, we had to address several unique safety challenges particular to the site. The first was the removal of a large tree that abutted the nearby Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train tracks. Removing the tree required close coordination with the CTA to avoid long commuter delays and ensure track integrity and safety.

In addition, James Shields Middle School is directly across from the west end of the site, on a cul de sac that was a key access point for trucks entering and leaving the jobsite. To protect the safety of school students and staff, we added a construction gate that would deter site access from unauthorized personnel. We also limited use of the gate during school hours, particularly during busy drop-off/pickup times so that construction traffic would not interfere with school operations or create a hazard. Doing so helped protect not only the jobsite but the safety of the larger school community. 

Salesforce Tower Chicago is a new 58-story high-rise on Chicago’s prominent Wolf Point, located at the confluence of north and south branches of the Chicago River. Global real estate developer Hines, Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises and RL Edward Partners, Inc., led the project through a pandemic, supply chain challenges and labor shortages to achieve an on-schedule completion in 2023. The 1,422,000-gross-square-foot office tower is a model of sustainability, with base building operations operating via all-electric equipment and infrastructure. Salesforce Tower Chicago is also the first building, in the city, to require Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to quantify the embodied carbon emissions of concrete and steel, resulting in a 19% overall reduction in carbon emissions compared to the industry average. Salesforce Tower Chicago is designed and constructed to achieve the highest levels of sustainability, including LEED v4 Gold Certification for the exterior.

Walsh Construction has strong foundational quality control values that were represented at the Salesforce Tower Chicago jobsite throughout the construction process. A quality control plan solidified a firm path to deliver the highest standard of work. The plan was overseen by a Regional Quality Control Manager who helped the project team create standards used to uphold quality. The project staff worked to convey quality to the tradespeople on the jobsite through various means of communication. Quality starts with all individuals on the jobsite on day one as the Three Phases of Control are introduced during orientation. These phases are integrated into all communication with the trades and are further stressed during Walsh’s Quality Week. Quality Week was a time for the project team to further train, educate, celebrate and reinforce quality culture. Subcontractor partners are also vital in the production and support of the quality plan. Walsh received written work plans from subcontractors for definable features of work. Each plan outlined, in detail, the steps for every installation, as well as any testing, hold points, required materials, and reference documents. Work plans were reviewed as part of subcontractor kick-off meetings to ensure the Preparatory Phase of work was started without obstruction. The use of work plans did not stop at the Initial Phase of work as it began but continued as a reference throughout the construction process and could be adapted to address any changes that might occur. This Follow-Up Phase required monitoring of all major definable features of work until their completion by both the Walsh and subcontractor management staff. The joint effort by all project members allowed the team to deliver a high quality project.  Walsh self performed the concrete scope and received the “2023 ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction”. 

The high-rise provides a sustainable impact on the community, with base building operations operating via all-electric equipment and infrastructure, while enabling the building to fully benefit from the City of Chicago’s clean energy transition. Salesforce Tower Chicago is also the first building, in the city, to require Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to quantify the embodied carbon emissions of concrete and steel, resulting in a 19% overall reduction in carbon emissions compared to the industry average.  In addition to the sustainability efforts, the project also participated in efforts to promote inclusion and community involvement, from jobsite tours, industry-related events and “Women In Construction Week,” which further emphasized and celebrated the  contributions women have made to the project and across the construction industry.

Safety at Salesforce Tower was led by Walsh Construction’s senior safety leadership team. The jobsite promoted an Actively Caring culture, where the workforce was empowered to speak up about safety items and they were rewarded for doing so. The job itself was protected by a very large platform system and a multi-floor screen system that kept all of the job materials on the job and off of the streets below. Each day started with a collective stretch and flex where superintendents and safety personnel could review the day’s scheduled activities. All staff attended these sessions daily and were encouraged to get to know the field team. Each team performed a daily plan, known as a Task Hazard Analysis. These items started every day off with safety as the top priority. The Craft Leadership Program is allowing the workforce at Salesforce Tower Chicago to be proactive in addressing any potential issues on the project. The program has helped to establish strong working relationships between the trades and management, and all parties are empowered to bring any concerns to light in an effort to keep all personnel safe. With over one million workhours, these innovations along with a steadfast commitment to safety and unyielding communication and planning resulted in Incident, Frequency, and Severity rates that were far below industry standards.  The project won Walsh’s internal national safety award in 2022.

Pepper Construction and Rush Street Gaming have had a long-standing relationship at the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, IL. When the Gaming Expansion Act passed that allowed for land-based casinos, the team was already in motion with plans for growth. The 75,000-square-foot north expansion was a two-story addition built between the existing casino building and the recently enlarged parking garage on the north side of the property. The design intent positioned the space to be one of the “luckiest” casinos around. Design elements were placed to symbolically cover the room and those in it with good luck and fortune. The first floor houses a new restaurant and added more than 700 gaming positions for slots and table games. The second floor features a 22-table poker room and a 10,000-square-foot ballroom for events and live entertainment. The expansion also features Asian and other gaming experiences new to the Des Plaines location, as well as a new Asian-inspired dim sum restaurant. 

• In anticipation of the Illinois Gaming Board passing the Gaming Expansion Act that allowed for land-based casinos, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines started planning for an extensive renovation and expansion that would accommodate the larger allowable number of gaming positions. The first phase of work was the expansion of the parking garage. When Covid-19 hit, construction came to a screeching halt when the government shut down work to help limit exposure to the virus and its spread. Because the parking garage was mid-construction and had a large crane in place, we were able to return to work sooner than other projects to stabilize the structure. 

• We worked out a financial agreement with Rush Street Gaming to keep the project moving even though the casino was shut down and not generating revenue to help cover the expense. This allowed tradespeople to continue working while other projects remained sidelined.

• Before construction began, several options were considered for the casino expansion. The first idea was to expand the casino to the south of the property. The second idea was to use the space between the parking garage and the casino to tie the entire property together. Although a bigger challenge, the second option was chosen, which would connect a traditional stationery building with the parking garage. 

• The two building types behaved quite differently. There is a vastly different expansion joint system between the north expansion and the parking garage versus the joint between the expansion and the legacy casino to the south. Extensive scanning took place before any shovel hit the ground to understand how the two buildings would behave under the required construction conditions.  We needed to ensure that once we joined them, neither structure would be compromised. 

• The second floor of the expansion held an events center. Asian-themed gaming was located directly below. We worked together with the design team to understand how the effects of sound and vibration in the event center would affect the first-floor space. This was achieved by using a robot to “dance” on the deck of the event center while recording the vibrations. The design team used the data to develop a plan that enhanced the buffer between the spaces. This new buffer was a series of 12 tuned mass dampers that were mounted in the structure to reduce the mechanical vibrations, with  additional steel provided to support the dampers. As a result of this early planning, we were able use the new information to bring the dampers and steel together while that area of construction was still accessible and still complete the work within the originally planned schedule.

• The expansion was built directly on top of a pedestrian passageway suspended above an active fire lane that connected the parking garage to the legacy casino. Of the average 10,000 daily patrons, 80% used the garage and pedestrian passageway. When setting the steel or other high-risk tasks for the expansion, security was put in place at each end of the passageway to control and navigate pedestrian traffic.

• The design team maintained vision for the entire space that included high-end finishes and aligned with specific feng shui requirements. While a custom lighting fabricator provided fixtures, Pepper was tasked with their challenging installation. One chandelier was composed of dozens of red, orange and yellow fish arranged in the shape of a dragon’s tail. The dragon is one of the luckiest figures in Chinese culture. Another 22-foot-tall fixture was installed near the escalators to replicate a swan. The glass pieces were hung one by one, using aircraft cable to set them in place. 

• We enhanced the existing electrical service that was required for the expansion. From a quality standpoint, we re-tuned the schematic for power that avoided a two-week shutdown of the existing casino gaming experience and saved the client a significant amount of money.

Pepper & Rush Street partnered to plan for overall expansion. When the pandemic hit, we continued to build the parking structure despite the casinos being shut down. These efforts kept union tradespeople employed when many construction projects were delayed while other contractors and owners worked through the early impact of Covid-19.

From the start, this project had diversity goals. We achieved 17% participation from minority-owned businesses (MBE), 10% participation from women-owned businesses (WBE) and 1% participation from disadvantaged businesses (DBE).

To achieve these goals, we put a variety of efforts in place. We had multiple outreach events to inform trade partners of project opportunities. Pepper partnered with a diverse contractor, IDI, integrated one of their superintendents onto our project team and mentored him throughout the project. We also connected diverse contractors with larger, established companies. For example, RJL Group, Inc., a small WBE contractor,, partnered with Kelso-Burnett – a leader in electrical services for more than 100 years. This relationship had started on an earlier casino project, and we brought them together again for the Rivers expansion. In addition to helping to change the status quo, the partnership aimed at enhancing both companies’ contributions while supporting a diverse, qualified and ready workforce. Crucial to this model was a consistent, shared leadership focus on ensuring diversity goals are met and collaborating to address any obstacles that emerge. Exposure to the large project triggered growth for the smaller companies. Benefits for the larger firms were equally meaningful. In the example provided, RJL’s team demonstrated different ways in which a smaller, more nimble team could work. Kelso-Burnett was reminded that, in order to respond quickly and effectively, they needed to constantly expand their thinking about solutions that can keep a project on track. Pepper’s self-perform team had similar partnerships with additional XBE partners. The connections made both within our company and with outside trade partners have led to continued partnerships in the same manner on other projects. In addition, the partners have built upon their positive impressions of Pepper and Rush Street, making them more likely to bid on future opportunities with both companies. 

The expansion project added 400 team members to support the newly expanded gaming floor, restaurant and bar, poker room and events center. In addition, the casino expansion increased contributions to the State of Illinois in gaming position licensing fees. 

As with every Pepper project, before any work begins, a project-specific safety plan is developed by identifying potential hazards, finding solutions and determining the best ways to implement those solutions.

When Covid-19 first started, we were in the middle of pre-cast for the parking garage. A large crane was hooked to pieces of the garage. The structure was in early stages and not sound to stand on its own. We could have temporarily welded pieces together, but the owner opted to keep setting the precast. Masons and iron workers were the only ones allowed onsite to secure the structure while trying to stay socially distanced and safe from contracting or spreading the virus.

Because we were working on an active casino site that is open 24 hours a day, extra planning and precaution measures were laid out to ensure the safety of the casino patrons. At times, our construction footprint expanded to the open legacy casino and the first floor of the parking garage. To ensure safety, we used extra barricades and made sure that equipment was locked and keys were removed when not in use. The casino staff continually monitored the site, using security cameras to prevent patrons from entering the construction areas.