2023 Top 500 Sourcebook: Bally's Bets on Chicago River
Design of the $1.7-billion project would include numerous public plazas and parks.
Rendering courtesy Gensler
Design is underway for the $1.7-billion Bally's Chicago gaming complex-resort project for entertainment firm Bally’s Corp., which received site plan approval in May. Located on Chicago Ave. along the north branch of the Chicago River, it is touted as Bally’s first such mixed-use project in a major city. The 30-acre urban riverfront location, in the former Chicago Tribune production site, will feature the casino, gaming hall, food hall, restaurants, theater, event space, museum, exhibition area, 500-key hotel and more than 10 acres of outdoor space. The concept focuses on elements that traditionally have not been associated with casinos, with addition of numerous public plazas and parks, as well as a riverfront walkway extension, Bally's says. The project team was announced in May. Gensler is designing the casino, museum, exhibition space, theater, event center, food and beverage venues, the Riverwalk and South Park projects and other public spaces. SCB is designing the hotel, spa and related food and beverage venues. Site Design Group is landscape architect and STL Architects is theater architect. Chicago Community Builders Collective was selected as general contractor. Construction would start in late 2024.
HOK
Jacksonville Jaguars Football Stadium
HOK’s conceptual designs for the Jacksonville Jaguars football stadium in Jacksonville, Fla, were released in June. After an assessment that began in 2020, the team and city officials opted to renovate the city-owned facility, TIAA Bank Field, instead of new construction. It also hosts the NCAA Bowl football game, and is a college football playoff site and concert and event location. The planned seating bowl, with a base capacity of 62,000, will have expansion capability to 71,500. Design innovations include an energy-efficient façade using a first-of-its kind mirrored material and a large shade canopy to reduce heat retention by 70% The design aims to link to surrounding neighborhoods and the riverfront, providing “park-like ambiance,” said HOK. Total project cost could be up to $2 billion, with stadium improvements costing about $1.4 billion, say press reports. Also on the project team are Impact Development and Management as owner’s representative and AECOM Hunt and Barton Malow as preconstruction manager.
HDR
Henry Ford Health Detroit Hospital Campus Expansion
Henry Ford Health selected HDR to lead the architectural engineering team for the $2.5-billion Detroit Hospital campus expansion. The design team also includes Tsoi Kobus Design and Hamilton Anderson. Plans include a brand-new hospital facility and patient tower, part of a broader development vision in the city's New Center neighborhood. The construction management team includes Barton Malow, Turner Construction and Dixon Construction Services, a Detroit-minority-owned firm. Groundbreaking is expected next year.
Smithgroup
Wisconsin History Center
Rendering courtesy SmithGroup
70%
Proportion of architecture firm leaders who estimated in a May survey that nearly all paid staff workdays are remote in some capacity, with the number of respondents not disclosed.
-American Institute of Architects
Designs of the new Wisconsin History Center in Madison were released by the Wisconsin Historical Society in June. The design team includes SmithGroup and Continuum Architects + Planners, which will design the museum, with Ralph Appelbaum Associates as the exhibit designer. The exterior of the 100,000-sq-ft, five-story facility is comprised of weathered zinc, embossed steel, granite and bird-safe glass. It will feature stacked terraces with views in all directions. Construction is scheduled to start in 2024 and complete in 2026. The state has committed $112.3 million toward the project, including donations.
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