30 East Balbo

Serving the student housing needs of south loop universities, 30 E Balbo offers a new and modern option. The facade features a combination of architecturally exposed painted concrete with a Class A finish and window wall. Interior columns in the residences were also exposed and required Class A finishes. A focal point of the client’s choice was the ability to provide an aesthetically pleasing exposed concrete ceiling without impact to the concrete schedule. Adjustable worked with the client to ensure ceiling finishes met the aesthetic by touring other completed work.

One of the biggest challenges of the structural concrete frame was the proximity of the exposed west shear wall to the adjacent CTA structure. Adjustable’s team of Risk Management worked with supervision to ensure work was carefully coordinated with the nearby trains. Adding to the complexity was a combination of perimeter structurally columns and exposed architectural facade walls with an isolation joint between the supported slab above. Perimeter jump forms were secured to edge of slab in lieu of the unbraced architectural wall to ensure platforms could be safely cycled.