The International Masonry Institute (IMI) brought its Build It Better Commercial Construction Forum series to Chicago this fall, gathering leaders in development, design, and construction to talk about what’s next for the city’s commercial projects.
The event was held in September at the newly opened Obama Presidential Center, where the design and construction teams behind the project walked attendees through how coordination and teamwork helped deliver a complex build. A focal point was the Center’s 8-story stone-clad Museum Tower, which the teams described as one of the more unusual examples of stone construction in modern architecture.
For contractors who work with stone cladding and other masonry scopes, the takeaway is straightforward: complicated exterior assemblies tend to succeed when decisions are made early, roles are clear, and the whole team stays aligned from design through installation. On projects where stone is a signature feature, that means paying close attention to planning and handoffs between design, fabrication, and field crews so the finished work matches the intent.
The forum also included insights from the team behind the new Chicago Fire stadium, which discussed the planning and coordination needed for a venue planned at The 78, a mixed-use riverfront development in Chicago. Even without getting into the details of each trade scope, the theme was consistent across both presentations: big commercial projects move faster and smoother when teams treat coordination as part of the work, not an afterthought.
Read the full, original article from REJournals here.