Forest Preserve District of Cook County Headquarters Electrification Renovation

River Forest, IL

As the first project resulting from the Forest Preserves 2018 Sustainability and Climate Resiliency Plan, AltusWorks provided building envelope and interior architectural design services to support full electrification and a new very high efficiency HVAC system at the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Headquarters and led by Interface Engineering.

The design features a novel ERV and VRF system to decarbonize the building and move operations toward 100% clean energy by 2030 and carbon neutral by 2050. AltusWorks assisted in integrating the new HVAC system and designed envelope enhancements to meet the thermal performance goals set for the envelope systems. Data gathered from a blower door test and thermal imaging scan of the headquarters was interpreted and additive insulation, air/water leak mitigation, and window restoration were recommended. Subsequently, a window study was developed to evaluate window restoration options. Considering solar gain coefficient and thermal performance targets, 3 options were evaluated to determine the most appropriate approach. Of the 3, the highest performance will be obtained by installing an interior glass inset panel and restoring the existing wood windows.

Pending final scope approval, execution of the project is anticipated in 2023.