74627 SOM157

McCormick Place Expositlon Center Expansion

Design/Completion 1984/1986 Chicago, Illinois, USA

McCormick Place Exposition Authority (MPEA)

1,600,000 square feet Concrete frame

Metal panel cladding system, concrete pylons, stainless Steel, glass

The project accommodates two exhibition halls, meeting rooms, administrative ofTices, enclosed crate storage, truck docks, and support and building services. The new building is an air-rights building sited adjacent to the original SOM-designed building, over existing railroad tracks. The components are connected by a pedestrian spine.

The main cxhibition hall is clad with silver-gray metal panels attached to polished stainless Steel mullions, with a band of louvers for fresh air supply.

A linę of vision glass just below the roof emphasizes the structural naturę of the cable system above. A pattem of diagonal panels above the glass strip delineates the roof s structural truss system.

The main hall is characterized by a system of 15-foot trusses suspended from cables that are in tum hung from 12 pylons spaced to providc flexibility for exhibition configurations. The pylons also serve as air supply ducts, keeping the upper hall free from ductwork.

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