BAP: The Poetry Foundation

THE POETRY FOUNDATION

Building analysis by Kiley Brennan and Madison Schooling

POETRY FOUNDATION Chicago, Illinois John Ronan Architects

Building analysis by Kiley Brennan and Madison Schooling Arch 341, Fall 2020 Lab instructor: Andrew Goodwin

Cover image: Photo from Steve Hall / Hedrich Blessing

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1_Story 2_Space 3_Site 4_Circulation 5_Structure 6_Skin

1_STORY PROJECT DATA Location: Chicago, Illinois Year of completed construction: 2011 Total area: 26,000 sq ft Total construction cost: $10.2 million Certifications: LEED Silver

TEAM Client: Poetry Foundation Architect: John Ronan Architects Landscape: Reed Hilderbrand Structure: Arup MEP and FP: dbHMS Civil: Terra Engineering Lighting: Charter Sills Acoustics: Threshold Acoustics General Contractor: Norcon

1.1 Interior Area

Photo: Steve Hall/Hedrich Blessing

ARCHITECT PROFILE

John Ronan Architects, the architects of The Poetry Foundation, is a firm that is based in Chicago, Illinois. The firm has designed projects similar to The Poetry Foundation throughout their time as a firm. The Poetry Foundation fit into the firm’s cultural and commercial sector of designs. They had designed a multitude of other cultural and commercial buildings, making these sectors two of their most prominent areas of design. Other than cultural and commercial, the firm also has an emphasis on educational design, but they have completed projects in a variety of areas.

Their design process is focused on research and collaboration, while aiming to produce work that is memorable and compelling. They also emphasize sustainability and building performance.

In the early stages of a project, they focus research on programmatic, locational, economic, and social aspects of the project. Some projects of theirs include The Concrete Townhouse, Chapel of St. Ignatius, and The Courtyard House. The Poetry Foundation was an important project for the firm that gained them popularity and many awards. 1

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Poetry Magazine’s founder Harriet Monroe ran a small business until Ruth Lilly donated $200 million dollars. Along with the creation of The Poetry Foundation, a desire formed to make a permanent location for poetry, and to allow poetry itself to become more accessible and understood. Initially, all poetry resources were stored under the Newberry Library in Chicago.

Other poetry events were always held in temporary spaces.

The Poetry Foundation was completed in June 2011. The building is located in Chicago, Illinois and is 22, 000 sq ft with a 4,000 sqft garden in the building. Chicago has been an urban center for poetry. Many people within the music and poetry industry have come out from Chicago; like Chance the Rapper, Kanye West, Common, and Jamila Woods. Monroe published a lot of these artists in her Poetry Magazine. It is fitting that Chicago holds a permanent space for poetry to continue to thrive in this city. The building itself has not changed physically since it’s opening but the rise of popularity within the poetry foundation itself has made the building a more prominent place. 2

REFLECTION/EVALUATION

When we began this project, we were initially drawn to the Poetry Foundation because of its interesting facade and backstory. Learning that the building was constructed with a unique program, we were interested to understand how a library for poetry would differ from a typical library. In our initial research, we learned the building is listed as one of 125 best buildings of the last 125 years by Architectural Record. We hoped to learn exactly why this building holds such a high reputation, in regards to design, sustainability, and overall function. Architect John Ronan explained the building unfolds layer by layer, much like a poem unfolds line by line. This helped explain many of the design decisions made in the project. We found this to be an inspired design approach, executed through layers of screen, garden, and understated materials in the building.

We assumed that in addition to the specific experiential qualities, the building would respond to the intense climate of Chicago and only have typical library spaces.

As we gained more knowledge of the project, we learned the Poetry Foundation is a relatively small building, with only two floors housing different library spaces, a performance space, a recording studio, an exhibition gallery, and many offices. Rather than just being simple spaces to allow for books, the Poetry Foundation is truly a home for all aspects of poetry. It is constructed with steel moment framing, enclosed by wood and glass. It may have been a better sustainable choice to use heavy timber, to improve thermal properties. As well, we assume the glass would have ample glazing properties to prevent excessive heat loss, but they could have reduced the amount of glass on the North facade. Due to the simple program and relatively small size, there is only one air based HVAC plant in the building. While this may be sufficient for the building size, we are unsure how the building functions so well with a large glass facade in a cold climate. It was difficult to find detailed explanations of systems in the building, but considering the building has a low EUI of 38.26, there are likely conditions we are unable to analyze. The screen is efficient in creating privacy, experiential layers, and thermal protection from direct heat gain. Overall, this project dedicates itself to its function through its focus on the human perception of the building. With ample daylighting, defined programming, material choice, and an articulate form, the Poetry Foundation is successful in creating an ideal home for poetry.

2_SPACE

Folded Envelope Model - 1/32”= 1’-0”

61 W Superior Street Chicago, Illinois 60654

N

Site Plan - 1/50”= 1’-0”

2_SPACE

Library

Offices

Offices

LEVEL 2

Offices

Performance Space Garden

LEVEL 1 Floor Plans - 1/32”= 1’-0”

Exhibition Gallery Library

Library

N

0

12

24

48

N-S SECTION - 1/24” = 1’-0”

0

E-W SECTION - 1/32” = 1’-0”

Sections

8

16

32

3_SITE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS The Poetry Foundation is located in Chicago, Illinois which is an urban setting. Since the site is in a heavily trafficked urban area and directly on the corner, the architects had to address acoustics through their design. Wind is primarily coming from the South West direction. There are high rises partially protecting the building from the wind and noise of the city. Pedestrian and vehicular transportation are located directly outside of The Poetry Foundation. Layers within the building help account for the site situation. These layers serve as transitions , but are explained as being similar to the lines of a poem. The transition from the sidewalk into the building begins with a layer created from an outer shell. This first layer creates a transition from the street into the building itself. In that transition space there are trees to further provide privacy and change the pace before entering the building. 3

N

Site Plan - 1/50”= 1’-0”

Sun Path

Wind

Circulation

Acoustics

3_SITE

REGIONAL RESOURCES Chicago gets its water from Lake Michigan. The Jardine water purification plant processes the water before it is distributed to the northern part of the city and suburbs and the Sawyer Water Purification Plant distributes water to the southern parts.

The poetry foundation is located in the northern part of Chicago. The water is treated with chlorine, fluoride, and any other chemicals needed to kill bacteria. Once treated, the water is delivered through pressurized systems.

Most of the energy in Chicago is sourced from coal and nuclear resources. Nuclear is 40% of the total energy and coal is 44%. Only 4% of Chicago’s energy comes from sustainable resources.

Chicago has a combined waste system of sewage and storm runoff. During rainy seasons, the sewer systems can often get backed up or overflow. From the drains, the water makes its way to the MWRD’s sewers, leading them to the reclamation plants for treatment. Then, the water goes back into the waterways. 4

1.2 Chicago Illinois’ Climate Photos: Climate Consultant

CLIMATE The climate in Chicago, Illinois is hot-humid, characterized by hot and humid summers and cold winters. The city experiences all four seasons. In the summer months, the temperature reaches the high 90s, but the winter months drop down to below freezing. The city does experience less temperature extremes than the surrounding area due to the proximity of Lake Michigan. The winters do bring a good amount of snow also due to the nearby lake.

Although Chicago is known as the “windy city” it is actually not very windy. The wind comes primarily from the South West but is relatively even from all directions. The architects created a layered system within the building to make it feel comfortable no matter what the weather is at the time. The outside screen wall prevents direct sunlight from penetrating the inner shells that are primarily made of glass walls, therefore preventing excess heat gain as well.

4_CIRCULATION

Target EUI

Photo: ZeroTool

Energy Building Energy Consumption Photo: ZeroCode

EUI breakdown Photo: CoveTool

ENERGY AND DAYLIGHTING PERFORMANCE For this project, the EUI benchmark is set with a target of 17.56. The poetry foundation as modeled has an EUI of 38.26. The components that contribute to a lower EUI would be heating, lighting, and other equipment. To reach the target of 17.56, the building would need to consider how it is placed in the site, its materiality, its glazing ratio, and maximizing passive heat gain in the winter. The main contributor to the large EUI of 38.26, is driven by heating and lighting costs. There is a large glass facade on this building, facing North. There is no direct sunlight that will ever hit this side of the building. Especially in the winter months, there is a lot of heat that would be lost through this facade.

As well, there are windows on the South facade of the building, but only open to enclosed rooms. The main natural light source for most of the building would be the North facade of glass. 5

daylighting strategies: the screen prevents heat gain and reduces energy needed for interior lighting

wind strategies: the screen keeps strong winds out and the garden space allows for cross ventilation

Performance Axonometric

south facade: minimal windows on the south facade that fail to bring in much light

glass facade: glazing that is efficient enough to reduce excess heat gain

4_CIRCULATION slot diffusers: used in duct HVAC system, hidden for aesthetic

plant: mechanical room, only one needed due to program and size

screen: to help with daylighting strategies to decrease mechanical courtyard: to help with ventilation and carry air through the space

THERMAL AND VENTILATION SYSTEMS

N

The architects utilized the screen and front courtyard for passive strategies to maintain human comfort. The screen provides shading to reduce the mechanical systems needed within the building and the courtyard helps with ventilation. They also included glazing to bring the sun in during the colder months. Thermal comfort is achieved through an air-based system. The system functions with ducts horizontally and vertically throughout the building with the plant located in the back corner of the first floor. The building only needs one plant because it is relatively small and has one basic program. They are placed in a typical grid system that works in concert with the building form and organization. The delivery is done through slot diffusers in the ceiling to conceal the system, making it more aesthetically pleasing inside. 6

1.3a Entry area with slot diffusers in ceiling Photo: Steve Hall/Hedrich Blessing

4_CIRCULATION

N

CIRCULATION AND EGRESS/ FIRE LIFE SAFETY The main circulation entrance is through the entrance in the courtyard that is surrounded by the screen. There is a main circulation stair on the far right of the space and two egress stairs on either end. Horizontal circulation is guided by hallways and the vertical circulation is provided by the stairways. The main circulation and egress ways overlap in the hallway spaces. Exit discharge is directly connected to the egress stairways to create an easy connection to the sidewalk.

N

Plan Diagrams - 1/64”= 1’-0”

4_CIRCULATION

CIRCULATION This section shows the main circulation stairs and how they interact with the the two floor plates.

It also shows the relationship between the different program elements. The first floor features an exhibition gallery, performance space, and library areas. The second floor also has some library area as well as having office spaces for the people working at the Poetry Foundation. The approach from the street can be seen from the North side. People mainly approach from the entrance on the North side through the screen.

office spaces performance space

library library exhibition gallery

Section Axonometric - 1/32”= 1’-0”

5_STRUCTURE

STRUCTURE The structural system that is used in The Poetry Foundation is steel moment framing. There are steel wide flange beams and girders. Members are spaced on a grid to evenly disperse lateral and gravitational loads to the steel columns. Shear walls were unnecessary for the building since Chicago does not have earthquakes and therefore seismic loads are not an issue. Steel was chosen because of it’s span capabilities. It has composite upper floors and reinforced concrete slab on grade foundation. Concrete slab on grade was chosen because it is the easiest and cheapest option for the building’s program that did not need any certain foundation.

6_SKIN

Zinc Screen

Glazing

Concrete

ENVELOPE The envelope primarily consists of glass and concrete. The North facade that faces the road is entirely glass and the South, West, and East facade are concrete with limited windows. There is also a zinc screen on the Northern side of the building. Glass is approximately thirty percent of the skin. The design team implemented the zinc screen to improve the performance of the overall space. Each facade differs based on the orientation, with the North facade blocking sun and wind and the other sides being protected by the other buildings on the block.

Skin Axonometric

REFERENCES NOTES 1. John Ronan Architects. “Studio.” Accessed September 25, 2020. http://jrarch.com/poetry-foundation 2. WTTW. “The Chicago Magazine That Has Helped Define Poetry for the Past Century.”

Accessed September 25, 2020.https://interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2020/04/15/poetry-magazine 3. John Ronan Architects. “Poetry Foundation.” Accessed September 20, 2020. http://jrarch.com/poetry-foundation 4.WTTW. “Where Does Chicago’s Garbage Go?.” Accessed September 25, 2020 https://news.wttw.com/2017/06/26/where-does-chicago-s-garbage-go 5. John Ronan Architects. “Poetry Foundation.”

6. Cove.tool. Accessed October 10, 2020 https://app.covetool.com/

BIBLIOGRAPHY Broome, Beth. “Poetry Foundation.” Architectural Record, November 15, 2011 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7872-poetry-foundation Climate Consultant. Accessed September 25, 2020 http://www.energy-design-tools.aud.ucla.edu/climate-consultant/request-climate-consultant.php Cove.tool. Accessed October 10, 2020 https://app.covetool.com/ John Ronan Architects. “Poetry Foundation.” Accessed September 20, 2020. http://jrarch.com/poetry-foundation John Ronan Architects. “Studio.” Accessed September 25, 2020. http://jrarch.com/poetry-foundation John Ronan Architects. The Poetry Foundation. Chicago: Centerline 9, 2015.

MWRD. “What you need to know about the sewer system.” Accessed Seotember 25, 2020 https://mwrd.org/understanding-your-sewer-0 Rossi, Kaitlyn. “John Ronan Visits The Poetry Foundation.” Filmed June 2, 2014 at Poetry Foundation, Chicago, IL. Video, 4:09. https://www.architectmagazine.com/videos/architect-visits-poetry-foundation.

The Poetry Foundation. “Visit.” Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/visit WTTW. “The Chicago Magazine That Has Helped Define Poetry for the Past Century.”

Accessed September 25, 2020.https://interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2020/04/15/poetry-magazine WTTW. “Where Does Chicago’s Garbage Go?.” Accessed September 25, 2020 https://news.wttw.com/2017/06/26/where-does-chicago-s-garbage-go Zero Code. “Energy Calculator.” Accessed October 10, 2020 https://zero-code.org/energy-calculator/ Zero Tool. “Energy Baseline and Target.” Accessed October 10, 2020 https://zerotool.org/zerotool/

IMAGE CREDITS Cover image: photograph © Steve Hall / Hedrich Blessing “Poetry Foundation / John Ronan Architects.” December 7, 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed September 20, 2020. http://www.archdaily.com/189339/poetry-foundation-john-ronan-architects/ 1.1: screenshots from Climate Consultant Accessed September 25, 2020.

1.2: photograph © Steve Hall / Hedrich Blessing “Poetry Foundation / John Ronan Architects.” December 7, 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed September 20, 2020. http://www.archdaily.com/189339/poetry-foundation-john-ronan-architects/ 1.3: photograph © Steve Hall / Hedrich Blessing “Poetry Foundation / John Ronan Architects.” December 7, 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed September 20, 2020. http://www.archdaily.com/189411/the-gary-comer-youth-center-john-ronan-architects 1.4: photograph © Steve Hall / Heidrich Blessing “Poetry Foundation / John Ronan Architects.” December 7, 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed September 20, 2020. http://www.archdaily.com/189411/the-gary-comer-youth-center-john-ronan-architects

1.4 View from the Street

Photo: Steve Hall/Hedrich Blessing

POETRY FOUNDATION

Kiley Brennan and Madison Schooling Arch 341, Fall 2020 Lab instructor: Andrew Goodwin

Chicago, Illinois John Ronan Architects

1_STORY PROJECT DATA

ARCHITECT PROFILE

PROJECT BACKGROUND

REFLECTION/EVALUATION

Location: Chicago, Illinois

John Ronan Architects, the architects of The Poetry Foundation, is a firm that is based in Chicago, Illinois. The firm has designed projects similar to The Poetry Foundation throughout their time as a firm. The Poetry Foundation fit into the firm’s cultural and commercial sector of designs. They had designed a multitude of other cultural and commercial buildings, making these sectors two of their most prominent areas of design. Other than cultural and commercial, the firm also has an emphasis on educational design, but they have completed projects in a variety of areas.

Their design process is focused on research and collaboration, while aiming to produce work that is memorable and compelling. They also emphasize sustainability and building performance. In the early stages of a project, they focus research on programmatic, locational, economic, and social aspects of the project. The Poetry Foundation was an important project for the firm that gained them popularity and many awards.

The firm has been the recipient of two AIA Institute National Honor Awards (for the Poetry Foundation and The Gary Comer Youth Center), and was recently selected as the #3 design firm in the U.S. by Architect Magazine. The firm’s work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the U.S. and in Europe, and has been featured extensively in regional, national and international publications.

Poetry Magazine’s founder Harriet Monroe ran a small business until Ruth Lilly donated $200 million dollars. Along with the creation of The Poetry Foundation, a desire formed to make a permanent location for poetry, and to allow poetry itself to become more accessible and understood. Initially, all poetry resources were stored under the Newberry Library in Chicago. Other poetry events were always held in temporary spaces.

When we began this project, we were initially drawn to the Poetry Foundation because of its interesting facade and backstory. Learning that the building was constructed with a unique program, we were interested to understand how a library for poetry would differ from a typical library. In our initial research, we learned the building is listed as one of 125 best buildings of the last 125 years by Architectural Record. We hoped to learn exactly why this building holds such a high reputation, in regards to design, sustainability, and overall function. Architect John Ronan explained the building unfolds layer by layer, much like a poem unfolds line by line. This helped explain many of the design decisions made in the project.

We found this to be an inspired design approach, executed through layers of screen, garden, and understated materials in the building. We assumed that in addition to the specific experiential qualities, the building would respond to the intense climate of Chicago and only have typical library spaces.

As we gained more knowledge of the project, we learned the Poetry Foundation is a relatively small building, with only two floors housing different library spaces, a performance space, a recording studio, an exhibition gallery, and many offices.

Rather than just being simple spaces to allow for books, the Poetry Foundation is truly a home for all aspects of poetry. It is constructed with steel moment framing, enclosed by wood and glass. It may have been a better sustainable choice to use heavy timber, to improve thermal properties. As well, we assume the glass would have ample glazing properties to prevent excessive heat loss, but they could have reduced the amount of glass on the North facade. Due to the simple program and relatively small size, there is only one air based HVAC plant in the building. While this may be sufficient for the building size, we are unsure how the building functions so well with a large glass facade in a cold climate. It was difficult to find detailed explanations of systems in the building, but considering the building has a low EUI of 38.26, there are likely conditions we are unable to analyze. The screen is efficient in creating privacy, experiential layers, and thermal protection from direct heat gain.

Overall, this project dedicates itself to its function through its focus on the human perception of the building. With ample daylighting, defined programming, material choice, and an articulate form, the Poetry Foundation is successful in creating an ideal home for poetry.

Year of completed construction: 2011 To1tal area: 26,000 sq ft Total construction cost: $10.2 million Certifications: LEED Silver

TEAM Client: Poetry Foundation Architect: John Ronan Architects Landscape: Reed Hilderbrand Structure: Arup

The Poetry Foundation was completed in June 2011. The building is located in Chicago, Illinois and is 22, 000 sq ft with a 4,000 sqft garden in the building. Chicago has been an urban center for poetry. Many people within the music and poetry industry have come out from Chicago; like Chance the Rapper, Kanye West, Common, and Jamila Woods.

Monroe published a lot of these artists in her Poetry Magazine. It is fitting that Chicago holds a permanent space for poetry to continue to thrive in this city. The building itself has not changed physically since it’s opening but the rise of popularity within the poetry foundation itself has made the building a more prominent place.

MEP and FP: dbHMS Civil: Terra Engineering

2_SPACE

Offices

Library

Folded Envelope Model - 1/32”= 1’-0” Offices

0

12

24

48

LEVEL 2 N-S SECTION - 1/24” = 1’-0”

Offices

Exhibition Gallery

Library

Library

Performance Space Garden

N 0

8

16

32

N

LEVEL 1

Floor Plans - 1/32”= 1’-0”

Site Plan - 1/50”= 1’-0”

E-W SECTION - 1/32” = 1’-0” Sections

3_SITE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS The Poetry Foundation is located in Chicago, Illinois which is an urban setting. Since the site is in a heavily trafficked urban area and directly on the corner, the architects had to address acoustics through their design. Wind is primarily coming from the South West direction. There are high rises partially protecting the building from the wind and noise of the city. Pedestrian and vehicular transportation are located directly outside of The Poetry Foundation. Layers within the building help account for the site situation. The transition from the sidewalk into the building begins with a layer created from an outer shell. This first layer creates a transition from the street into the building itself. In that transition space there are trees to further provide privacy and change the pace before entering the building.

REGIONAL RESOURCES

Wind

Sun Path

1.2 Chicago Illinois’ Climate

Chicago gets its water from Lake Michigan. The Jardine water purification plant processes the water before it is distributed to the northern part of the city and suburbs and the Sawyer Water Purification Plant distributes water to the southern parts.

Photos: Climate Consultant

The poetry foundation is located in the northern part of chicago. The water is treated with chlorine, fluoride, and any other chemicals needed to kill bacteria. Once treated, the water is delivered through pressurized systems.

The climate in Chicago, Illinois is hot-humid, characterized by hot and humid summers and cold winters. The city experiences all four seasons. In the summer months, the temperature reaches the high 90s, but the winter months drop down to below freezing. The city does experience less temperature extremes than the surrounding area due to the proximity of Lake Michigan. The winters do bring a good amount of snow also due to the nearby lake.

CLIMATE

Most of the energy in Chicago is sourced from coal and nuclear resources. Nuclear is 40% of the total energy and coal is 44%. Only 4% of Chicago’s energy comes from sustainable resources.

Chicago has a combined waste system of sewage and storm runoff. During rainy seasons, the sewer systems can often get backed up or overflow. From the drains, the water makes its way to the MWRD’s sewers, leading them to the reclamation plants for treatment. Then, the water goes back into the waterways.

Although Chicago is known as the “windy city” it is actually not very windy. The wind comes primarily from the South West but is relatively even from all directions. The architects created a layered system within the building to make it feel comfortable no matter what the weather is at the time. The outside screen wall prevents direct sunlight from penetrating the inner shells that are primarily made of glass walls, therefore preventing excess heat gain as well.

Acoustics

Circulation

4_CIRCULATION

south facade: minimal windows on the south facade that fail to bring in much light

daylighting strategies: the screen prevents heat gain and reduces energy needed for interior lighting

EUI breakdown Photo: CoveTool

ENERGY AND DAYLIGHTING PERFORMANCE For this project, the EUI benchmark is set with a target of 17.56. The poetry foundation as modeled has an EUI of 38.26. The components that contribute to a lower EUI would be heating, lighting, and other equipment. To reach the target of 17.56, the building would need to consider how it is placed in the site, its materiality, its glazing ratio, and maximizing passive heat gain in the winter. The main contributor to the large EUI of 38.26, is driven by heating and lighting costs. There is a large glass facade on this building, facing North. There is no direct sunlight that will ever hit this side of the building. Especially in the winter months, there is a lot of heat that would be lost through this facade.

As well, there are windows on the South facade of the building, but only open to enclosed rooms. The main natural light source for most of the building would be the North facade of glass.

glass facade: glazing that is efficient enough to reduce excess heat gain

wind strategies: the screen keeps strong winds out and the garden space allows for cross

Target EUI

Energy Building Energy Consumption

Photo: ZeroTool

Photo: ZeroCode

Performance Axonometric

slot diffusers: used in duct HVAC system, hidden for aesthetic

plant: mechanical room, only one needed due to program and size

screen: to help with daylighting strategies to decrease mechanical systems needed courtyard: to help with ventilation and carry air through the space

N N

THERMAL AND VENTILATION SYSTEMS CIRCULATION AND EGRESS/ FIRE LIFE SAFETY

The architects utilized the screen and front courtyard for passive strategies to maintain human comfort. The screen provides shading to reduce the mechanical systems needed within the building and the courtyard helps with ventilation. They also included glazing to bring the sun in during the colder months. Thermal comfort is achieved through an air-based system. The system functions with ducts horizontally and vertically throughout the building with the plant located in the back corner of the first floor. The building only needs one plant because it is relatively small and has one basic program. They are placed in a typical grid system that works in concert with the building form and organization. The delivery is done through slot diffusers in the ceiling to conceal the system, making it more aesthetically pleasing inside.

The main circulation entrance is through the entrance in the courtyard that is surrounded by the screen. There is a main circulation stair on the far right of the space and two egress stairs on either end. Horizontal circulation is guided by hallways and the vertical circulation is provided by the stairways. The main circulation and egress ways overlap in the hallway spaces. Exit discharge is directly connected to the egress stairways to create an easy connection to the sidewalk.

performance space

This section shows the main circulation stairs and how they interact with the two floor plates.

It also shows the relationship between the different program elements. The first floor features an exhibition gallery, performance space, and library areas. The second floor also has some library area as well as having office spaces for the people working at the Poetry Foundation. The approach from the street can be seen from the North side. People mainly approach from the entrance on the North side through the screen.

Plan Diagrams - 1/64”= 1’-0”

library library exhibition gallery

office spaces

CIRCULATION

N

Section Axonometric - 1/32”= 1’-0”

5_STRUCTURE

STRUCTURE The structural system that is used in The Poetry Foundation is steel moment framing. There are steel wide flange beams and girders. Members are spaced on a grid to evenly disperse lateral and gravitational loads to the steel columns. Shear walls were unnecessary for the building since Chicago does not have earthquakes and therefore seismic loads are not an issue. Steel was chosen because of it’s span capabilities. It has composite upper floors and reinforced concrete slab on grade foundation. Concrete slab on grade was chosen because it is the easiest and cheapest option for the building’s program that did not need any certain foundation.

6_SKIN ENVELOPE The envelope primarily consists of glass and concrete. The North facade that faces the road is entirely glass and the South, West, and East facade are concrete with limited windows. There is also a zinc screen on the Northern side of the building. Glass is approximately thirty percent of the skin. The design team implemented the zinc screen to improve the performance of the overall space. Each facade differs based on the orientation, with the North facade blocking sun and wind and the other sides being protected by the other buildings on the block.

Zinc Screen

Skin Axonometric

Glazing

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. John Ronan Architects. “Studio.” Accessed September 25, 2020. http://jrarch.com/poetry-foundation

Broome, Beth. “Poetry Foundation.” Architectural Record, November 15, 2011 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7872-poetry-foundation

MWRD. “What you need to know about the sewer system.” Accessed Seotember 25, 2020 https://mwrd.org/understanding-your-sewer-0

Zero Code. “Energy Calculator.” Accessed October 10, 2020 https://zero-code.org/energy-calculator/

2. WTTW. “The Chicago Magazine That Has Helped Define Poetry for the Past Century.”

Accessed September 25, 2020.https://interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2020/04/15/poetry-magazine

Climate Consultant. Accessed September 25, 2020 http://www.energy-design-tools.aud.ucla.edu/climate-consultant/request-climate-consultant.php

Rossi, Kaitlyn. “John Ronan Visits The Poetry Foundation.” Filmed June 2, 2014 at Poetry Foundation, Chicago, IL. Video, 4:09. https://www.architectmagazine.com/videos/architect-visits-poetry-foundation.

Zero Tool. “Energy Baseline and Target.” Accessed October 10, 2020 https://zerotool.org/zerotool/

3. John Ronan Architects. “Poetry Foundation.” Accessed September 20, 2020. http://jrarch.com/poetry-foundation

Cove.tool. Accessed October 10, 2020 https://app.covetool.com/

The Poetry Foundation. “Visit.” Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/visit

4.WTTW. “Where Does Chicago’s Garbage Go?.” Accessed September 25, 2020 https://news.wttw.com/2017/06/26/where-does-chicago-s-garbage-go

John Ronan Architects. “Poetry Foundation.” Accessed September 20, 2020. http://jrarch.com/poetry-foundation

5. John Ronan Architects. “Poetry Foundation.”

John Ronan Architects. “Studio.” Accessed September 25, 2020. http://jrarch.com/poetry-foundation

6. Cove.tool. Accessed October 10, 2020 https://app.covetool.com/

John Ronan Architects. The Poetry Foundation. Chicago: Centerline 9, 2015.

WTTW. “The Chicago Magazine That Has Helped Define Poetry for the Past Century.”

Accessed September 25, 2020.https://interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2020/04/15/poetry-magazine WTTW. “Where Does Chicago’s Garbage Go?.” Accessed September 25, 2020 https://news.wttw.com/2017/06/26/where-does-chicago-s-garbage-go

Concrete