State Emergency Operations Center

Springfield, IL

New Construction

Architect

DeStefano and Partners, Ltd.
Chicago, IL

Contractor

River City Construction, LLC

Photo Credits

Barbara Karant (Karant + Associates, Inc.)

Copper System: Exterior rain screen

One of a new generation of facilities designed to manage security threats and emergency operations, this new 50,000-square foot building houses mission critical technology and offices for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and its affiliate agencies. A layered design approach facilitated delivery on an extremely aggressive, 19-month schedule. The essential, secure "box" of the structure was designed to be constructed quickly and weatherproofed in only three months. A copper rain screen configuration for the exterior wall allowed work to proceed inside and outside almost simultaneously. The exterior perforated copper screen creates a degree of lightness and elegance and protects the facility while isolating sensitive parts of the project from electromagnetic pulses that might be caused by lightning or electrical storms.