Chicago Transit Authority Headquarters, Chicago, Illinois

Twelve story corporate headquarters building. 350,000 square feet. Steel frame construction and aluminum/glass curtainwall exterior. The Chicago Transit Authority, a new 12 story building in the West Loop in Chicago, Illinois, was completed in December of 2004. This commission was obtained through an invited competition process which required delivery of site, building shell and core, interior build-out, and site development on a strict timetable by the development team. The CTA project was conceived as a blend of quality corporate design with a statement of civic/governmental architectural presence. An additional element was a concern for sustainability in the design of the building. An entire extensive green roof system, encompassing 33,000 square feet of roof area, is part of the initial design. In addition to the well lit open office areas of the building, there is a second floor conference and meeting floor which is integrated with the ground floor lobby design incorporating open areas, glass elevator and monumental stair access.