Western Specialty Contractors’ Chicago Concrete branch restored the parking garage for the Swissotel luxury hotel in downtown Chicago.
Located at 323 East Upper Wacker Drive, Swissotel Chicago offers 662 modern rooms and suites, 65,000 square feet of flexible event space and two dining outlets. The hotel’s all-glass tower provides panoramic views of Lake Michigan, the Chicago River and the city skyline.
Swissotel Chicago hired Western to repair and waterproof the hotel’s busy parking garage. Vehicles regularly entering parking garages leave water, oil, and muck behind, which can corrode the structure’s concrete and steel support system. An ineffective maintenance routine for a parking structure can quickly lead to costly repairs and restorations that are disruptive to drivers and create unexpected costs and safety concerns. Keeping up with concrete repairs and maintaining a garage’s waterproofing will help extend the life of any frequently used parking garage.
Western’s scope of work on the Swissotel’s garage included making structural concrete repairs, along with repainting the garage’s walls and columns, and installing a new traffic bearing membrane on the garage floor.
The garage’s total restoration work included:
- Partial depth concrete repairs: 10,641 sq ft
- Overhead concrete repairs: 2,700 sq ft
- Vertical concrete repairs: 2,700 sq ft
- Vertical concrete repairs: 1,000 sq ft
- Rout and seal repairs: 6,000 LF
- Traffic bearing membrane: 63,000 sq ft
The project started in November 2023 and was completed in March 2024, during the winter, when the hotel had its lowest occupancy.
“We were up against a hard deadline to get the project completed before the spring, when business would pick up for the hotel. We also had to navigate ‘no noise days’ when the hotel had its ballrooms rented out and our work hours were restricted, which made the project deadline even harder to reach. Overall, we were able to complete the project that went above the specified quantities within the original project deadline,” said Western Project Manager Brent Rogers.
In addition to the tight deadline and noise restrictions, Western also faced a low ceiling clearance in the garage, requiring crews to use special equipment to move materials and equipment throughout the garage during the project.
“This forced us to be creative with our work schedule to ensure we were completing our production quota daily,” said Rogers.
Building Consultants, Ltd. was the engineering consultant on the project.
Western offers a FREE Parking Garage Visual Guide & Checklist to easily identify and track damage to a parking structure’s main components, including its concrete slabs and beams, support columns, walls, drainage, and expansion and control joints. Click Here to download the FREE guide.
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About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing, and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects, and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures, including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://westernspecialtycontractors.com.