Structure
The Gerald Ratner Athletics Center is located on the campus of the University of Chicago, on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. The building complex is used by college students, faculty, staff, and community residents and is surrounded by other neighborhood and university buildings such as classrooms, a hospital, theater, library, dormitory, and parking garage.
The 150,000 square foot building contains a natatorium (an indoor swimming pool), a competition-sized gymnasium, a practice gym, a dance studio, weight lifting rooms, exercise rooms, locker rooms, and offices.
The building was a design partnership between two architecture firms: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects(formerly Cesar Pelli Architects) of New Haven, Connecticut and Cannon Design (formerly OWP/P Architects) of Chicago, Illinois. Pelli Clarke Pelli was the main design architect, responsible for the overall 'look and feel' and design of the building. Cannon Design served as the Architect of Record and was responsible for designing the building details and structural engineering, figuring out how it was to be constructed, developing the set of construction drawings, and overseeing construction.
Brainstorm Ideas
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects quickly developed many small study models to figure out the overall form of the building. A second round of study models show how the parts of the building could be arranged. Early brainstorming ideas included a central tower and a roof without the cables or steel masts holding up the roof structure, but in the end, these designs were not developed.
Develop Solutions
A more finished model was built by the architects to show the University of Chicago administrators for approval. A side view of the gymnasium building, shows the tall steel masts designed to hold up the roof structure. The Ratner Athletics Center contains two main parts - the competition gym and the pool.
Final Design
Over the next year, the architects worked closely with university officials to refine the original design. Then work started on the all the detailed architectural drawings (called construction documents) needed to actually construct the athletics center.
Cannon Design's architects and engineers worked closely with the general contractor responsible for constructing the building. Other important collaborators - such as mechanical / plumbing engineers, advisors on the design of the pool, acoustical engineers, and lighting designers - were brought into the process for their expertise.
Build It
Using the construction documents drawn by the architects, engineers, and the various project consultants, the building comes together. For nearly 2 years, the general contractor was responsible for constructing the building.
