Palmer House Restoration (Chicago, IL)

This challenging historic renovation of the 100+ year old Palmer House Hotel presented an opportunity for Spray Insulations to highlight its capabilities in renovation work as well as hospitality construction. Starting with a small contract to fireproof miscellaneous structural revisions for new stairs, mechanical openings and a new garage ramp, our participation grew to include upgrading the fire resistance of the existing lower level garage areas with extensive mechanical reinforcement, cementitious fireproofing and firestopping

• General Contractor - Pepper Construction Co.
• Architect - Loebl Schlossman & Hackl
• Owner - Thor Equities/Hilton Hotels

Arboretum Lakes Re-roof Project (Lisle, IL)

Spray Insulations installed the original cementitious fireproofing for this 1987 office building. When a major re-roofing project in 2007 caused extensive damage we were able to spotlight our expertise with rigid board fireproofing while retrofitting within a finished, occupied and operating workspace. After our initial attempt to repair small amounts of fireproofing visibly delaminated due to the re-roof project revealed a much greater problem, it was decided to forego a spray-applied solution and proceed with an installation of rigid board fireproofing over the course of several weekends. Working round-the-clock between the close of business on Fridays and open of business on Mondays, this project was completed with minimal interruption to the building tenants and with the gratitude of the customer.

• Owner - Hamilton Partners

Will County Adult Detention Facility Expansion (Joliet, IL)

The major expansion of this penal institution in downtown Joliet provided the opportunity for Spray Insulations to furnish and install of variety of its products including medium and high-density cementitious fireproofing, intumescent fireproofing and sprayed foam insulation. Design and construction of penal facilities pose unique challenges. Among them are the need for durable products in concealed and exposed locations that will withstand the potential abuse of a prison population, and the need for energy efficient products to reduce long term operating costs for a publicly funded facility. Add to that tall floor to floor heights and the lack of wall and floor openings for hose, equipment and personnel access and the potential problems become more apparent. Spray Insulations met these challenges nonetheless and counts this project as a success for all involved.

• Construction Manager - Harbour/Gilbane, JV
• Trade Contractor - J. Adler Roofing & Sheet Metal
• Architect - Stromsland DeYoung Architects, Inc
• Owner - Will County (IL)

General Mitchell International Airport (Milwaukee, WI)

The latest concourse expansion to Milwaukee’s major airport includes a dramatic 25,000ft² sprayed acoustical plaster ceiling with challenging detailing installed to perfection by Spray Insulations. The sloping ceiling, 22ft to 27ft above the floor below of this new concourse required expansion joints, control joints, casing beads and anodized reglets surrounding each lighting penetration. These specific design features plus performing air-side work at a major airport posed additional challenges which, were easily handled by Spray Insulations to the satisfaction of all.

• Construction Manager - Gilbane, Inc.
• Trade Contactor - C.D. Smith, Inc
• Architect - Enberg Anderson Design Partnership
• Owner - City of Milwaukee, WI

Horseshoe Casino (Hammond, IN)

Working below the water line in a confined space on a floating barge, designing & constructing a one time only fireproofing delivery system to transcend land based mixing /pumping and ship based installation locations and hoping all work remained intact during & after the short trip from its construction mooring to its final anchor berth were only some of the challenges faced during our installation of cementitious fireproofing and marine mineral fiber fireproofing for this major gaming facility. Even during the bidding process, much was learned about the differences between naval architecture and conventional building architecture for both were required for this project. Like most casino projects, the schedule was critical and opening the facility as early as possible was paramount. In the end, all challenges were met and the Horseshoe Casino expansion has become another success story for Spray Insulation.

• General Contractor - Pepper Construction Co.
• Architect - Freidmutter Group
• Owner - Horseshoe Casino

Art Institute of Chicago Modern Wing (Chicago, IL)

When structural steel fireproofing becomes part of the architectural design of an art museum, there is the risk that it will be judged like the works of art among which it is on display. Although holding fireproofing and its tradesmen to such lofty levels may seem unfair, this was certainly true of the exposed Intumescent fireproofing installed for this major expansion of Chicago’s pre-eminent art museum. The bar was raised for all finishes in this showcase project so that if they were not works of art in their own right, they would at least not detract from the viewer’s appreciation of the art itself. Spray Insulation takes pride in the knowledge that our work was equal to this test.

• Construction Manager - Turner Construction Co.
• Architect - Renzo Piano
• Owner - Art Institute of Chicago

UIUC Intramural Physical Education Facility (Champaign, IL)

Renovation of the tired main undergraduate physical recreation facility at the University of IL included the addition of new mechanical spaces, creation of dramatic new multi level open spaces including a new climbing wall, transformation of outdoor tennis areas into a new gymnasium as well as significant Code upgrades to the existing facility. Cementitious fireproofing was required not only for the new structural elements but also for the majority of the existing structure, which had never been fireproofed. Preparation of existing painted surfaces to receive new fireproofing included extensive lath work prior to fireproofing to ensure proper adhesion. Where left exposed, fireproofing was carefully applied to leave little or no overspray onto adjacent surfaces. After a 3 year project, the facility re-opened to great fanfare and a grateful student body.

• Construction Manager - Williams Brothers Construction Co.
• Trade Contractor - Associated Constructors
• Architect - VOA
• Owner - State of Illinois

University of Chicago Utilities Plant (Chicago, IL)

When the University of Chicago decided to showcase its two new neighborhood location utility plants not only for their functionality but for their architectural aestheticism, its Architects’ original concept was to incorporate Intumescent structural steel fireproofing. Alas, Value Engineering eliminated this plan and a call for mock-ups incorporating either medium density or high density fireproofing was made. Although less expensive, medium density fireproofing was deemed unsatisfactory and based on the quality of its mock-up with high density, cementitious fireproofing and a smooth trowel finish, Spray Insulation’s submission was selected as the basis of design. Ultimately, Spray Insulation was selected as the subcontractor for this high profile project. After some initial weather-related scheduling issues were overcome, the fireproofing for the project's two locations is now a model for high-end, exposed fireproofing

• Construction Manager - Bovis Lend Lease
• Architect - Murphy/Jahn
• Owner - University of Chicago

Great Lakes Naval Training Center Battle Stations (North Chicago, IL)

As the Navy’s only remaining recruit training center, Great Lakes NTC must include the best technology available for recruit training. The Battle Stations naval project includes a replica of a navy destroyer complete with equipment and apparatus to expose and train recruits in the rigors and risks of all naval operations and crisis situations. To protect the underlying structure, Spray Insulations furnished and installed the cementitious fireproofing for this unique design-build project.

• General Contractor - James McHugh Construction Co.
• Architect - Wight & Co. /Smith Group, Inc.
• Owner - US Navy/Naval Facilities Engineering Command

Children’s Hospital of WI (Wauwatosa, WI)

The major medical campus just west of downtown Milwaukee has become denser with the addition of this new state of the art 13-story children’s healthcare facility. With an aggressive quality control program and an ever vigilant eye on eliminating all potential sources of infection and mold, this major expansion of the Children’s Hospital of WI will come on line with construction quality to match its excellent medical quality and care for children. This rigor extended to the cementitious fireproofing installed Spray Insulation and we are proud to have been part of the construction team for this successful project.

• General Contractor - Oscar J Boldt Construction Co.
• Architect - Zimmerman Design Group
• Owner - Children’s Hospital & Health System

Contact Spray Insulations, Inc. today for more information about our work on these or other projects, and how we can provide you with superior fireproofing and insulation products and customer service.