Design Solutions - Summer 2008 - (Page 10) AT A GLANCE: Illinois State Capitol Renovation writing surface controlled by a gas cartridge for smooth quiet operation. Members’ laptops are concealed when the desk tops are secured. Each desk also accommodates an electronic voting console and microphones, along with drawers and pull-out trays for the convenience of the user. “Imperial used laser technology to capture the existing desk locations and platforms before they were removed,” notes President Frank Huschitt, III. “We then generated three-dimensional drawings for all the new platforms. This allowed for preparation work by other trades to precede the arrival of the newly built desks.” State leadership had a vision to restore the grandeur of the original design and did so by seeking out the talented architectural firm of Vinci Hamp Architects, Chicago, to make this vision a reality. AWI member firm Imperial Woodworking Company, Palatine, was added to the team to execute the reconstruction endeavor. Imperial Woodworking mobilized a team of artisans and craftsmen to the House and Senate chambers to literally dismantle the woodwork down to the bare structure. The woodwork was then repaired by stripping and sanding the many layers of old stains and varnishes all the way to the bare wood. Cracked and deteriorated pieces of wood were carefully replaced and many new elements were seamlessly coped, mitred and fitted into the existing woodwork. Then all woodwork was hand finished on site to match precisely the new woodwork that was shop fabricated. MeMber Desks since the original trestle tables. The House chamber has 138 hinged-top desks while the smaller Senate chamber features 69 roll-top desks, based on a design from the turn of the 20th century. “The desks are complex assemblies that are individual pieces yet joined together and fit into rows that form the whole assembly,” he explains. The Senate desks include a roll-top feature so they can be secured when not in use. House desks have a sloped work surface with a flip top with a leather beautiful eleMents Another important focus of the chambers was the rostrums. The Senate President’s was reconstructed around salvaged fragments from the original. The House Speaker’s rostrum was entirely reconstructed from historic photos. Both rostrums were enlarged to accommodate the greater number of personnel. On each side of the rostrums elaborate wood bases were constructed to accommodate decorative lightoliers. Central to the project was the design of new, period-appropriate member desks and leadership rostrums, reports David Hrabal, AIA. In both chambers the new desks represent the fifth generation of legislative desks 10 DESIGN SOLUTIONS 5The house chamber has 138 hinged-top desks while the smaller Senate chamber features 69 roll-top desks. I summer 2008
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