HKS’ Joe Cliggott Talks About Chicago Design and Development Opportunities
Chicago, known for its vibrant culture and pivotal role in architectural history, faces several design challenges today, including an evolving central business district, a housing deficit and former industrial sites in need of revitalization. The Chicago studio of global architecture firm HKS is bringing extensive research, strategic planning, community development and design expertise to efforts to create a more resilient and livable city.
Launched in 2011, the studio established its presence in Chicago with projects ranging from the emergency department renovation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital – Northwestern Medicine’s downtown flagship facility – to pro bono work for the Chicago Public School District. HKS recently served as Architect of Record for Salesforce Tower Chicago and is currently designing a major entertainment destination intended to transform development along the Chicago River.
HKS Principal Joe Cliggott brings 30 years’ experience to his role as Chicago Office Director, having designed projects within the city and around the world. Cliggott shared his thoughts on Chicago’s architectural heritage and how HKS is contributing to that legacy.
What’s special about Chicago, from an architecture and design perspective?
Cliggott: Chicago is a global city. It is one of the preeminent cities for architecture, particularly modern architecture.
The first skyscraper was built literally across the street from our HKS Chicago office. The first steel frame building is next door. That design knowledge has been exported around the globe, often from Chicago architecture firms. This is the place that the world looks to as a leader in design and building. We have a great history of well-crafted drawings that lead to well-crafted buildings. There’s a wonderful legacy that goes back 150 years.
Chicago is also a major transportation hub for air, train, highways and rivers. Set along the shores of Lake Michigan, the city is the largest in the greater Midwest region and it attracts people for work and play.
What are some growth opportunities for the AEC industry in Chicago?
Cliggott: The commercial mixed-use market will rebound following the pandemic, and while traditional retail was already in the process of changing, spaces that can attract people to attend events and activities in-person are going to fill the gaps. The activation of these spaces and the buildings that shape them is going to continue.
The greater Chicago region supports a wide variety of market sectors. A fascinating new development is the repurposing of existing office buildings in the downtown business core. These class B & C buildings may be architectural landmarks, but they have outlived their usefulness for their original purpose.
Some of those older buildings are well located from a public transportation standpoint, but don’t work very well as office buildings in our current times. They are ideally suited for hotels and residences because of the massing and setbacks common in buildings of the early 1900s. The floor plates work well for commercial and residential redevelopment.
Conversion to residential or hospitality is an effective and highly sustainable way to activate the city and provide much-needed housing options on a compressed schedule, due to the nature of existing buildings.
And Chicago has a great need for residential space. The city has started a program focusing on its historical financial center, where there are beautiful landmark buildings. Chicago is investing money for those to be converted. I think we’re going to continue to see that trend of investment, these public-private partnerships. I see those as potential opportunities.
What other factors are influencing development in Chicago?
Cliggott: There are several multi-billion-dollar projects that have been announced around Chicago. Many are in former industrial areas, including several along the Chicago River. These projects are mixed-use in nature, including residential, hospitality, research, education and commercial.
For example, HKS is designing a transformative project that will create a world-class leisure and entertainment destination for visitors and locals alike along the river. We are excited to share more details about this project as it develops.
What partnerships are you interested in creating or growing at HKS Chicago?
Cliggott: There is an array of smaller, boutique firms and many minority- and women-owned businesses, as well, that we are building strategic relationships with. Often these can be mentor-protégé relationships, but often we learn from one another. It’s a two-way process.
How does HKS Chicago promote visionary thinking?
Cliggott: One benefit of being part of a large company is the global resources we have available. In addition to how we practice as individual designers at HKS, we also have strong Advisory group and Research components. Many of those experts are Chicago-based.
For example, I get the benefit of sitting in the same studio space as our global leaders in sustainability, such as (HKS Director of Building Engineering Physics) Tommy Zakrzewski, who has a PhD in civil engineering and teaches at Illinois Tech. He’s a wonderful Chicago-based resource for things like sustainable façade engineering. Rand Ekman, HKS’ Chief Sustainability Officer, is here in Chicago. Rand led HKS’ efforts to become a carbon-neutral firm. Lisa Adams is a sustainable interior design leader and she heads our Citizen HKS public interest design initiative. Lisa has personal relationships at the Chicago level, and she can connect us to a global practice of giving back to the community. We’re lucky to have that expertise as a local resource.
Sustainability, research, community service – these things aren’t window dressing at HKS. They’re part of our DNA as a company. That’s how we operate. So, the fact that our Chicago studio is WELL certified, you can feel it in the workspace. A lot of firms may talk about sustainability and health and well-being, but we’re living those values in our own environment. And it comes through in our work.
Our studio has a very practical knowledge skill set on how to build buildings, we have people who are passionate about what they do, and we invest in the research and global knowledge sharing network to help inform that work.
When we get smart people the right tools, that helps us to be really great citizens and really great designers.