Hancock Fountain Revitalizing a Chicago Icon by Paul L'Heureux North Michigan Avenue, better known as the "Magnificent Mile," is one of The United States' most impressive and affluent streets. Since its construction in the late 1960's, the 1,127-foot John Hancock Tower, situated at the north end of this famous street, became one of the most attractive features of Chicago's skyline. The impressive black steel and glass structure is still one of the world's top 10 tallest buildings and one of the three top 10 located in Chicago, along with the Sears Tower and the Amoco Building. The well-known John Hancock Center recently underwent a $25 million revitalization of its public spaces and observatory. The project included the redevelopment of the outdoor plaza, focusing on the design and technical solutions for the water feature. The manager of the process, U.S. Equities Realty, Inc. was given the Award for Excellence by The Urban Land Institute (ULI) in the large-scale rehabilitation category in 1999. Design Concept After 25 years, Hancock Realty Investors Inc., wanted to enhance the image and appearance of the property and improve the competitiveness of this famous mixed-use building. The vision for revitalizing the Chicago icon included redesigning the building's plaza to create an inviting "town center" serving North Michigan Avenue; expanding a long-dormant Michigan Avenue retail space; and the opening of separate office and observatory entrances, as well as a dedicated office lobby for tenants and their guests. The design intent was to achieve this vision by increasing the use of the sunken public plaza and create a good first impression, which is critical to the image of the building. The sunken plaza is one of the main public entrances to the tower and imparts a significant impression of the building's relationship to its users and the neighboring environment. All improvements had to favor the predominantly office and residential use of the building. However, the other objective was to encourage people to visit the shops and the tower's observatory during the day and evening hours. Under the development management of U.S. Equities Realty, LLC, the agents for the owner and the architectural direction of Hiltscher Shapiro Associates, Ltd., Crystal Fountains was added to the project team as water feature consultants in 1992. Designed water could help mask the traffic noise coming from the street above and help soften the hard stone surfaces. A water feature was therefore necessary to the success of the space. Beaded Water Vertical water effects with minimal footprints were needed because of the limited square footage in the plaza. Wind conditions next to a skyscraper had to be considered, as well as existing structural conditions. Water walls were an obvious choice from the beginning because they met the conditions and limitations of the site. They would provide a passive and intimate solution that would work well with the stairs at either end of the 210-foot long plaza. When designed properly, with the right hard surfaces, water walls can be elegant and tactile. The design team knew that the plaza's center, with its striking staircases, needed a water feature with three dimensions. While an arching waterfall was originally suggested, this traditional method would be assaulted by the wind. Plus, the falling water would never stay within the small confines of the pool. Crystal Fountains' director of design, Doug Duff, the fountain consultant for John Hancock, came up with a 'beaded' waterfall solution. Rather than falling in flat sheets, individual strands of water would allow wind to pass through the water curtain. As these strands of water fall, they produce a consistent look along the entire 10-foot height. Since no sheering occurs as the water drops, the landing zone is also smaller and more predictable. Additionally, selecting stone finishes is an important part of the design process for any water feature. Since water has no color, black granite was an obvious choice; it has a rich, monolithic quality that balanced nicely with the light gray granite in the plaza. It also helped mask any shadows produced by the open stairways at the plaza's center. Splash and Spray Dropping over 2000 gallons per minute from 10 feet up causes undesirable splash and spray that could be a traffic hazard for pedestrians and also contaminate the adjacent planting bed soil with bromine water treatment. Mock-up testing was completed in Crystal Fountains' testing facility to confirm the extent of the splash. Although all spray couldn't be eliminated, the major and hazardous portions were prevented. This was achieved by testing cascade widths and tread heights, and measuring the landing zone area of the beaded waterfall and flow rates at different critical areas. Where necessary, splash suppression matting was incorporated into the design to deaden water impact sound. The design also incorporated sufficient water inlets and throttling valves to adjust flow rates on site across the more than 200-foot water feature. Over 80 piping distribution penetrations were installed to balance discharge and suction flows. Customized Product Solutions Water features such as waterfalls, water walls and cascades are more of an exercise in structural solutions than hydraulics. Wetted surfaces require sophisticated water proofing methods and techniques. If water is allowed to leak behind the granite surface and mix with the concrete substrate, a simple looking black granite water wall can turn into a nightmare with a build-up of ugly white leachate along the stone's seams. The more than 80 piping penetrations and 77 niched light fixtures required a few custom waterproofing adhesion solutions. Since 90% of all leaks in a water feature occur around fittings and pipes, advanced products, careful substrate preparation and attention to waterproofing adhesion of dissimilar materials is necessary. It's a very costly exercise to remove the granite surfaces to fix and repair leaks. Furthermore, installing the granite is one of the last steps in the construction process, so it could be embarrassing to find leaks and have to delay the grand opening. The stainless steel beaded waterfall weir, a shaped edge over which the water flows, was critical to the aesthetic appeal of the falling water between the two staircases. The metal had to be curved to match the upper trough's concrete surface. The 28-foot long weir was designed and fabricated with adjustable settings to help properly level its center. Concealing Hardware & Components From View With today's intricate water feature designs, fountain components must be manufactured so they can be niched, or hidden, from public view. At Crystal's manufacturing facility, the system designer for this project, Paul Connally, had a wide range of niched components to choose from. Connally's most challenging task was fitting the fountain's 164 submersible light fixtures into the confined spaces of the water feature. "I worked very closely with our manufacturing team to solve some of the more complex conduit routing and penetration fittings required for the concealed, stepped cascade lights. I wouldn't have been able to position light fixtures in many of the small and critical pool areas without a factory that was willing to modify some of its products." Paul also mentions that some of the lighting solutions required special review by Chicago's stringent Electrical Bureau. "Turner Construction and Prime Electrical Contracting were invaluable during the review process. With projects as complicated as this one, co-operation with the project managers and installer is vital." The Result Office occupancy at John Hancock Center increased from 47 percent at the end of 1992 to 96 percent at the end of 1999. Gloria Oskvarek, project architect with Hiltscher Shapiro during the redevelopment and now an Associate with Shapiro Associates Ltd in Chicago, said that "the water feature helped to make the plaza a much friendlier, pleasant and exciting place to be." Katie Scott, executive vice president, asset management for U.S. Equities Realty, LLC, was head of the group in charge of the re-positioning project. Scott says that the water feature is the pivotal element in the project's success. "I think the fountain is fabulous," remarks Scott, "it brings a natural and human feel to what was formerly designed as a beautiful but plain amphitheater. People of all ages, families, workers and visitors are attracted to the water. It successfully brings traffic into the plaza, day and night." The water feature provided the sound masking needed to make the plaza into a small park. "It's now a venue for entertainment and a gathering and meeting place that is truly appreciated." LASN Paul L'Heureux is president of Crystal Fountains. The international water features specialist has been designing for over 30 years and has offices in Chicago and London, England with its head office and manufacturing facility in Concord, Ontario, Canada.