Chicago is more than windy. It’s a city with freeze-thaw weather cycles so harsh, it can weaken or destroy most roofs within a decade or two. Barry O’Quinn, senior manager in charge of building envelope projects at University of Chicago, had the foresight to know Ludowici roof tiles could restore campus aesthetics while saving the University millions.
The University of Chicago, founded in 1890, has evolved from a compact quadrangle on the Midway Plaisance into an expanded community of 28,000 people who study, work, and live on a campus that covers 217 acres of land. Populating the campus are over 170 buildings in various styles, designed by several prominent architects of their day, including original architects Henry Ives Cobb, Holabird & Roche, Eero Saarinen, Edward Durell Stone, Cesar Pelli & Associates, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Rafael Viñoly, and Frank Lloyd Wright. With preservation in mind, the university created a master plan for extensive building reconstruction and maintenance over time, including roof renovations on existing structures. Beginning the process, an independent building consultant specializing in design review and the senior manager of building envelope and campus trade shops quickly discovered that the original campus roof tile was manufactured by Ludowici.
Next, the University of Chicago assessed the buildings needing repair or replacement. Ludowici was brought in to find an appropriate tile profile and color to standardize the aesthetic of the campus’ historic buildings while maintaining the integrity of the original design. The Ludowici team worked with the university’s in-house architects to pull each building’s historic tile samples and have them shipped to the Ludowici factory for identification and color analysis. Most of the university’s tiles were flat, shingle, or interlocking and shared various examples of potential replacement options.
Multiple roof tile mock-ups were placed along the natural sight line with each roof’s pitch to test the visual appearance and performance against Chicago’s inclement weather. Ludowici’s durable, Grade 1-rated tile with less than one percent water absorption proved resistant to Chicago’s harsh and changing climate. The university ultimately chose Ludowici’s Classic 14 interlocking tile in clay red. This all-natural color serves as the perfect complement to the many building styles on campus and is built to hold up against the cold Chicago winters for seasons to come
