NBS topic areas

Keep up to date with industry developments

NBS solutions|

Products and services for all construction projects

NBS Create

NBS Create - our groundbreaking new specification tool. Authored by our in-house experts to make sure your time specifying is fast and efficient, saving you time and money.

Video: Chicago's Poetry Foundation by John Ronan Architects

This building was completed at end of July 2011 and this is the first architectural access granted. It's a permeable building in the heart of Chicago designed to be as sustainable as possible – both in material terms but also socially sustainable.

This will be a full building study, focusing on materials and construction – especially the use of zinc, the urban context of significant buildings and acoustic performance.

Learning points

Bringing sustainability into the heart of the city
Building in a major urban setting and how to incorporate urban space into a building and vice versa
The construction potential of zinc
The acoustic separation and different acoustic types
Sustainability in an American context: rainwater retention and material choices
Design criteria and materials choice: zinc cladding, etc.

About the contributor(s)

John Ronan founded John Ronan Architects in 1999. He is an assistant professor of architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. John Ronan Architects was awarded the 2009 National Honor Award by the American Institute of Architecture for the Gary Comer Youth Center project in Chicago, Illinois. His work has appeared in numerous publications and his projects have been featured in several exhibitions.