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WILLETT, HOFMANN & ASSOCIATES,
INC.
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Aquascape Designs, Inc. New Corporate Headquarters St. Charles, Illinois
Aquascape Designs, Inc., a pond
supply manufacturer, built a new corporate headquarters on a vacant 15 acre
tract in the Chicago suburbs. WHA was responsible for both the land surveying
and civil engineering required to complete the plans and specifications for the
new facility and office headquarters.
WHA completed an ALTA survey, Annexation Plat and Final Plat of the Aqualand Subdivision. The process included preparing waterline and storm sewer easement documents and negotiating easement provisions with the DuPage County Airport Authority and the City of West Chicago. The project is located adjacent to the corporate limits of the City of St. Charles and the City of West Chicago, so extensive agency negotiations were required.
A portion of the property is classified as a high-quality wetland, so the civil site design had to incorporate the protection of this fragile ecosystem. The low-lying wetland was incorporated into the overall master drainage and stormwater plan by allowing a portion of the stormwater volume generated by a 100-year storm to be temporarily stored in the wetland.
The stormwater grading and drainage design was complicated by the fact that the adjacent roadway elevation prevented the system from overflowing overland. In the event of a malfunction, the stormwater could flow into the yards of the adjacent properties. This challenge led the engineers at WHA to design an innovative outlet control structure that allowed for an overtopping of the detention system to flow under the adjacent roadway without infringing on the adjacent properties.
In an effort to limit the influence on downstream development as a result of the construction of the proposed building, the project incorporated a “Green Roof” and permeable pavers. The roof of the building includes live vegetation and soil that will absorb a large percentage of the rain water, thus reducing the total site runoff. In addition, permeable pavers were utilized in the parking lots to facilitate infiltration of stormwater into the ground, further limiting the site runoff.
Materials balance was an important part of this project. With almost no area available for stockpiling material on-site and the prohibitively expensive cost of borrow material, it was important that the cuts and fills balanced on the project. The finished grades were adjusted several times to achieve a material balance.
An extensive amount of coordination was required to successfully complete this complicated project. Not only did we have to include both the City of West Chicago and the City of St. Charles in the review loop, but also the DuPage County Highway Department, Kane County Engineer, DuPage Airport Authority, and Kane County Park District. An extensive team of technical subconsultants was used to prepare a set of contract documents that complied with the various regulatory requirements.
In October, 2007, Aqualand received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification, based on the building rating in five green design categories, including WHA’s sustainable site design.
Last Updated:
04/08/2009 | |||||
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The
sanitary sewer main and potable water distribution system were extended to
provide service to the new building. Plans and permit documents were submitted
to the City of St. Charles, City of West Chicago and the Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency. The water line plans included an emergency interconnect
between the two independent water systems serving the City of St. Charles and
the City of West Chicago. The interconnect allows either City to provide
potable water to the other if required as a result of an emergency situation.