The premier construction experience.

We proudly introduce our first-ever ACE+Skender scholarship recipient, Alondra. She is a rising senior at the University of Illinois Chicago, majoring in civil engineering and helping pave the way for more women seeking careers in architecture, construction and engineering. Skender partnered with @acementorchicago to offer an annual $10,000 scholarship to support the next generation of rising industry professionals and align with our ongoing efforts to attract more women to construction. Three cheers for Alondra!

Caution: Hard hats and teamwork required! Skender welcomes its 2022 summer class of interns!

Extreme office makeover: Ice Miller LLP edition! Skender recently completed the law firm's Chicago office gut renovation, spanning two floors in 200 W. Madison. The workspace features a monument staircase that connects the floors, demonstrates the collaborative nature of the firm and its new office, and serves as a gathering spot for employees. Ice Miller’s modernized workspace focuses on accommodating the law firm’s growth with more open desks, offices and collaborative, small-group destinations throughout. The flexible workplace now includes a reception area that can open up to accommodate large gatherings and a café off the staircase connecting floors 35 and 36. Another modern feature of the new office is an open ceiling, which increases room height and spaciousness. “When embarking on this overhaul of our office space, we wanted to plan for flexibility and growth, as well as create opportunities for our employees to naturally bump into each other, leading to collaboration that might not otherwise happen,” said John Burke, Office Managing Partner, Ice Miller. “Skender understood this goal and built our space to perfectly support our team.” “Many law firms are building office spaces to cultivate a culture of equality and teamwork, and the physical space can certainly support these objectives,” said Mike Muehring, Senior Project Manager, Skender. “Our team has extensive experience with delivering workplaces with feature staircases, collaborative spaces and cafés that encourage team building, and we’re incredibly proud to have brought this kind of space to life for Ice Miller.” Skender collaborated with architect NELSON Worldwide and engineer Kent Consulting Engineers (KCE) to complete Ice Miller’s office renovation. #interiorconstruction #chicagocre #chicagoconstruction #skenderbuilt #officeconstruction #officeinteriors #lawfirmconstruction #lawfirmlife

The doors are open! Skender recently completed one of Chicago’s first office-to-lab conversions for Hazel Technologies, Inc, a USDA-funded tech company developing solutions to extend the shelf life of fresh produce. Hazel’s shiny new HQ: A two-story, 54,000-square-foot lab and office at 320 N Sangamon. “The new space gives Hazel Tech a phenomenal foundation for today and tomorrow’s innovative projects that will revolutionize the supply chain and drive a step-change in food waste reduction,” commented Adam Preslar, CTO and co-founder of Hazel Technologies. “We combine facilities for molecular biology, postharvest agronomy, biochemistry, and materials science into an integrated space for maximum cross-pollination between our top-tier scientific teams.” Amidst the unprecedented supply chain crisis and ongoing volatility with building materials costs, this project required careful coordination to procure and install both standard construction materials as well as special lab equipment in time for move-in. Hazel’s lab space required several infrastructure customizations, such as new air handling, general exhaust and fume exhaust, new boilers, and uninterrupted power supply generators with capacity to manage all the lab equipment and technology. Specialty equipment and finishes include fume hoods, snorkel hoods, negatively pressured lab spaces, and acid- and solvent-resistant finishes. “The ability to convert two floors of 320 N. Sangamon was the perfect solution for Hazel Technologies’ condensed schedule and complex technical needs. A truly creative approach was needed to make the conversion possible, and capitalizing on in-place restaurant infrastructure was a key differentiator,” said Jason Utah, Senior Project Manager, Skender. Skender collaborated with developers Tishman Speyer and Mark Goodman & Associates, Inc., tenant representative CBRE, architect Perkins&Will and engineer Cosentini Associates. #lifesciences #officetolab #officetolabconversion #labscience #lifescience #chicagoconstruction #interiorconstruction #chicagocre #laboratorylife #laboratory #skenderbuilt #fultonmarket #320nsangamon