As the focal point of the Chicago Union Station Headhouse building, the Great Hall was envisioned as a waiting room area and gathering point with different building amenities located around it. Since completion in 1925, the skylight and exterior enclosure system had undergone various minor repairs, but eventually needed a major rehabilitation to address some of the chronic water infiltration and related exterior masonry, interior stone and plaster/paint damage problems that were on-going problems for the building.

K&H was tasked with providing structural engineering and architectural restoration services related to the design of a new steel structure for a new skylight above the existing skylight, design of new access walkways at the east and west of the skylight, analysis of the existing long-span curved girders that span across the Great Hall, restoration of the interior stone cladding, and the repair of the exterior masonry walls and roofing systems that make up the Great Hall enclosure system.

Our scope of services included structural design and analysis for a new steel frame structure to support the new skylight located above the existing skylight and new access walkways at the East and West for access to the interstitial space. In addition, structural analysis was performed of the existing curved girders that span across the Great Hall per modern codes, which required structural upgrades for required lateral bracing of the existing girders. Steel reinforcing repairs were designed for the existing steel structure due to encountered deterioration. Revit Structure was used for the design documents, and Rhino and ETABs were the structural analysis programs used to review the new and existing structures. Our architectural services also included assessment of existing interior cladding and the exterior enclosure system, preparation of repair documents and full construction phase services.

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