A completed Brauhaus at the DANK Haus!

 More to come after the Grand opening on September 17, 2020!

 Historic Restoration

WA worked with Soucie Horner Ltd on the renovation of an historic mansion from the 1860s.  See it here! 

Brauhaus!

Brauhaus at the DANK Haus!

 

Hope to be open by the first week of September! 

https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/08/07/chicago-brauhaus-gofundme-over-halfway-funded-may-open-in-new-dank-haus-home-in-september/

Local Foods Public Market and Grocer Opens

Local Foods is Chicago’s first wholesale distributor and retailer of strictly local foods from Midwestern farms. The new 18,000 SF W. Willow Street facility in Bucktown includes 12,000 SF of back-of-house dry and cold storage, wholesale distribution, and food processing areas, as well as a market, the Butcher and Larder butcher shop, the Stock Café, and training center open to the public. WA was brought onto the project to provide permitting and construction administration assistance, design-build construction detailing, coordination of equipment, exterior facade and interior design consultation, and millwork design.

View of the public market

The Butcher and Larder

Produce and refrigerated sections

Stock Cafe

Back-of-house refrigerated storage

Back-of-house butcher area

Exterior view of main entrance

HandCut Foods Opens New Commissary Kitchen

HandCut Foods is a local catering company that creates fresh, healthy meals to K-12 schools and private events. Looking to ramp up the scale of their daily production, HandCut Foods contracted WA to design a new cutting-edge commissary kitchen. Located in a re-purposed packing and shipping warehouse off of N. Elston Avenue in Bucktown, the new 5,000 SF space features a custom stainless steel hood over the cooking and baking equipment, a new skylight, mezzanine meeting space, a large walk-in refrigerator and freezer, and dedicated food packaging room.


View of the pastry kitchen





View of the central cooking station with custom stainless steel hood.
 



80-quart mixer. It has a clutch.

 

View of the hood and new skylight from the new mezzanine.

 

Waechter Architects Has Moved!

Waechter Architects is now located at 4536 N. Ravenswood Avenue, three blocks south of the old office. We are conveniently located by both the Montrose Brown Line station and Ravenswood Metra station.

'Green Not Gray' Playground Opens at Ravenswood School

The flooded asphalt lot is no more! The new playground at Ravenswood School was unveiled this past weekend at a grand opening ceremony attended by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Alderman Ameya Pawar, Ravenswood students, families, and neighbors. The new playground features several pieces of play equipment suitable for multiple age ranges, an artificial turf field, rubberized walking track, amphitheater, life-sized chess, a basketball court, and native landscaping.

Waechter Architects was the architect of record for this project, providing architectural design services, construction administration services, and coordination between the other consultants, parents' group, and CPS. WA also facilitated the receipt of a grant from the Illinois EPA, as this project was designed to capture 100% of stormwater runoff.





Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Charlie Waechter, Alderman Ameya Pawar, and Ravenswood Principal Nate Manaen announce the grand opening of the new Ravenswood Elementary playground.

  





View of play equipment and new planters
 

Students enjoy the new artificial turf field and play equipment.
 

View of play equipment and amphitheater

New artificial turf field and rubberized walking track

 






B.I.G. Baseball Academy Opens Indoor Facility

Waechter Architects is proud to announce the opening of the new indoor home of the B.I.G. Baseball Academy. B.I.G. is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 to provide more kids an opportunity to play baseball and learn the value of working together on a team. To date, over 2,500 Chicago kids have participated in B.I.G.'s camps and classes. With this new indoor facility on S. State Street, B.I.G. is now able to offer programming year-round.

Waechter Architects provided design, permitting, and construction administration services to convert the uninhabited storefront into an indoor practice area. The new facility provides ample space for both batting and fielding practicr.

 

New Josie Harper Admissions Suite Now Open at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business

The new suite, designed by Waechter Architects, is situated across the street from the renowned Frederick C. Robie House in Hyde Park. The new design takes advantage of the spectacular views by opening up the reception, conference, and open office areas and situating them along the main window wall. The use of interior glazing further allows light to flood through the space.

Reception Lobby

View from the Main Building Lobby

Reception Desk

Reception Waiting Area with View Toward Robie House

Reception Waiting Area with View Toward Outdoor Plaza

Conference Room with Views to Reception, Robie House, and Outdoor Plaza

Open Office Area

Individual Workstation

McCormick School: New Playground and Pre-K Facilities

CPS Opened the new Pre-K classrooms and playground last month.  Waechter Architects was the architect of record for a complete renovation of existing annex space which included new accessibility features, new HVAC systems, new toilet rooms, new teaching accessories, finishes and new outdoor play areas.

New Playground Equipment and Play Surface

New Playground Equipment and Play Surface

Interior of Renovated Classroom

'Green Not Gray' Rally at Ravenswood School a HUGE Success!

Hundreds of Ravenswood students, parents, teachers, neighbors and elected officials (including Governor Pat Quinn, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Alderman Ameya Pawar and several others) gathered on the Ravenswood playground Saturday to celebrate the announcement of a $750,000 grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IL-EPA) that will help make the new playground at Ravenswood School a reality. In a surprise twist, Mayor Emanuel announced that Chicago Public Schools and the City of Chicago will match up to $350,000 of the $1.5 million cost, which ensures that ground will be broken next spring.  Click here to see video of the Mayor’s announcement and other photos on the Ravenswood School Facebook page.  More photos are posted in the Gallery on the Ravenswood School website (and even more will be posted as more photos are submitted).  Waechter Architects was instrumental in the creation of the grant proposal.  WA worked with Barker-Evans Landscape Architects as well as Greengard, Inc. to create the plan that will mitigate stormwater run-off from the site, as well as provide a new community and school playground.




Charlie Waechter with Governor Quinn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlie Waechter with Mayor Emanuel



Existing plan (above), Proposed plan (below)

 

 

 

Armitage Residence Completed

Exterior view from the northwest

 

Living room

 

Custom kitchen cabinetry

 

Kitchen

 

Central staircase

 

Jack-and-Jill bathroom

 

Master bathroom

Midway Club at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center

Waechter Architects was engaged to extend the lounge area of the Midway Club to include room for a billiards table and additional space for larger events. Much care was taken to mimic the style and finish of the millwork of the existing lounge to ensure the two rooms felt cohesive as one space. The University is currently having a matching wood floor fabricated, which will replace the carpet shown.

View from Main Lounge

 

New Billiards Room

View Toward Main Lounge

Private Residence at Green Lake, Wisconsin

Construction completed in 2012 of a Private Residence in Green Lake, Wisconsin.

View from the Lake