R.A. Smith Wins SFIA Award for Project at 1122 W. Chicago, Chicago, Ill.

Featured image: 1122 W. Chicago, Chicago, Ill., features cold-formed steel (CFS) framing. All photos courtesy of R.A. Smith, Inc.

The Lipe Property Company mid-rise project at 1122 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Ill., submitted by SFIA member R.A. Smith, Inc., made efficient use of cold-formed steel (CFS) products to save time and money. R.A. Smith SFIA Award 1122 W. Chicago Illinois

1122 W. Chicago Avenue, Lipe Property Company’s newest development, is located at the intersection of Chicago and Milwaukee avenues in Chicago’s River West neighborhood, a vibrant, densely developed area. The 7-story building contains 97 residential units with ground floor retail and a nearby L-train station, the Life Property’s website says.

CFS framing was successfully used particularly at the roof level. The combination of hot-rolled steel tubes and CFS joists supported the floors and walls, achieving a desired visual effect at the building’s focal point — an attractive rooftop amenity space. 

The SFIA Awards, Mid-Rise Project, 2023 Winner: R.A. Smith, Inc. for 1122 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago.

R.A. Smith, a member of the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA), is the SFIA 2023 Industry Project Awards winner in the “Mid-Rise Project” category for 1122 W. Chicago Ave. The project involved R.A. Smith, All Steel Mid-Rise and MRI Steel Framing, LLC, all SFIA members.

 R.A. Smith was announced the winner at the 2023 SFIA Awards ceremony held recently online. The SFIA 2023 Industry Project Awards focus on CFS manufacturing and construction. Architects, engineers, manufacturers, distributors and contractors entered their projects in the competition. The SFIA Awards entry was submitted by Alyssa Pease of R.A. Smith. 

Design Quality 

Did this project make efficient use of metal framing? 

This project made efficient use of CFS products. By panelizing the job and reviewing individual panels, the project was continuously being value engineered to ensure the lightest possible members were used. While it required additional effort during the initial stages to ensure the lightweight framing was installed and erected correctly, the use of CFS products ultimately saved immeasurable amounts of time and money.

CFS framing was also successfully used through careful coordination of the joist system, particularly at the roof level. It necessitated precise coordination to properly transfer the accessible rooftop loads, where planting spaces exceeded 300 psf and were sporadically placed along the terrace. This provided an attractive rooftop amenity space, but it required extreme attention to structural detail to execute. 

A cold-formed steel (CFS) joist system helped to properly transfer rooftop loads.

By paying attention to layout details, the project team was able to align joists with the framing or utilize custom deep leg distribution devices. This not only facilitated the coordination of the floor system but also accommodated the architectural intent of the building, which features a stepped appearance at the narrow sections and a primary amenity space at the top. 

A system combining hot rolled steel tubes infilled with CFS joists was employed to support the floors and walls, successfully achieving the desired visual effect, and highlighting the focal point of the building.

Another architectural feature that made exceptional use of CFS framing was the staggered placement of windows, rather than aligning them evenly down the building. Framing each window independently, transferring larger loads, and ultimately using hot rolled steel at many header/jamb locations would have made it challenging to utilize CFS framing. 

Instead, through R.A. Smith’s collaboration with the architect, the project team agreed on a maximum span for window staggering. This approach allowed for stacked windows at a larger span and infilled openings as required within the framed CFS opening. The resulting effect was a visually stunning arrangement of windows staggered beautifully on each floor around the entire building.

The staggered placement of windows made use of cold-formed steel (CFS) framing.

Installation Complexity

What difficulties existed on the project?

Installation conflicts were successfully avoided due to the panelization approach employed for this project. The upfront investment of additional project planning time ensured a smoother construction process in the later stages, allowing for a more streamlined process and significantly fewer complications. Although there was coordination involved with shipping and lifting panels, the project was completed quickly and efficiently. 

Regular site visits were conducted during this project, revealing minor issues that needed resolving. For instance, damaged studs within panels needed replacing, and some opening framing (depending on the location) required new detailing when it was time to build the panels. 

Installation conflicts at 1122 W. Chicago Ave. were avoided through panelization.

Manufacturing Complexity

Were special materials involved?

R.A. Smith incorporated a proprietary joist system known as an I-span. While the job primarily used modified standard pieces, the exception was the implementation of the proprietary joist system. A custom distribution track was formed for this job to evenly distribute loads along walls where angled or misaligned joists were present. 

Overall, the majority of the project featured excellent alignment between the joists and studs, further contributing to the structural integrity of the CFS framing system. 

The 1122 W. Chicago Ave. project features high structural integrity cold-formed steel (CFS) framing.

Overall Job Quality

How did the completed system turn out?

The completed system exceeded expectations while meeting all the difficult criteria outlined in the project. The exterior of the building boasts staggered windows. The roof was transformed into a beautifully landscaped shared terrace space. 

The building achieved the architect’s desire to have a stepped appearance both inside and outside of the building. These remarkable design features, combined with numerous others, have truly exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Learn more about SFIA member R.A. Smith.

Additional Resources

• SFIA Reveals 7 Winners of the 2023 Industry Project Awards in Online Ceremony
• Sorting Apples from Oranges — Comparing Evaluation Services with Third-Party Certification
• SFIA Releases Guide to the Performance-Based Nonstructural Partition Selection of Metal Framing