CME.18 – The Expansion of the Chicago Riverwalk Along Wolf Point

• Talha Adnan
• Saeed Azmat Gurmani
• Steven Hui
• Arsala Khan
• Alfredo Lopez
• Paul Skolba

Due to the relocation of the Kinzie Street railroad bridge, a section of the Chicago River is open for development. To take advantage of this opportunity, the City of Chicago has decided to expand the Chicago Riverwalk, from the end of its South Branch near Franklin St. to Grand Ave. The proposed North Branch expansion will be approximately 1400 feet. This project proposes a 2200 square foot pavilion and 70 feet of river front access from Wolf Point Plaza. The scope of the project includes the structural design of a pavilion that provides a lookout at the Chicago River and adequate space for commercial and leisure activities. The rooftop of the proposed building will serve as a terrace, providing pedestrians on both the street and river level an unobstructed riverfront view and seating. Major design assumptions consist of reusing assets from previous iterations of the Chicago Riverwalk, avoiding ADA codes, sheet pile analysis for the pavilion, and leaving the commercial usage of the interior for the city to decide. The final design of the pavilion is a single-storied, 17-foot tall, L-shaped structure that has a railing-protected rooftop terrace. It is located near the sidewalk that branches off of the Franklin Street Bridge. A structural analysis of the pavilion is included, consisting of the design of the beams, girders, columns, and roofing materials. The second phase of the project elaborates on the construction cost, which includes but is not limited to: the total cost of the pavilion (materials, labor, contractors, and utilities) and the ornamentation of the riverwalk (lighting, furnishing, landscaping, railings). Finally, the completed project is analyzed through the LEED rating system to determine the level of environmental sustainability.