Wight & Company Awarded Several Key Projects

Aug. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- Darien, Ill. (August 13, 2012)—Wight & Company, a leader in integrated architecture, engineering and construction solutions for the built environment, announced it has recently been awarded three local design-build projects, which are currently underway. These include:

•   UNO Soccer High School. Wight has been selected by The United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) to further develop the 8.8-acre site at 5050 S. Homan, which is currently home to the UNO Soccer Academy Elementary School. A new high school will be constructed a few hundred feet from the elementary school, and will be the first public high school in Illinois that combines a rigorous academic curriculum with the Hispanic community's passion for soccer. The 78,000 square foot project includes a three-story, 960-student high school (grades nine through twelve) with a soccer field on the northernmost 4.71-acre sub-parcel of the property. The project will target LEED silver certification. Construction begins this summer and is expected be completed in the fall of 2013. The groundbreaking for the project was held on July 12, 2012.

•   Jeanine Nicarico Children’s Advocacy Center and the DuPage County Family Center. Wight has been chosen as the Resident Engineer for the future new home of the Jeanine Nicarico Children’s Advocacy Center and the DuPage County Family Center, located at 422 County Farm Road in Wheaton. Now located in an aging building southeast of the new site, the DuPage County Children’s Advocacy Center helps children who have been victims of sexual abuse and severe physical violence, and the Family Center provides mediation and other services for families experiencing parental separation and divorce. The 15,000-square-foot facility celebrates the impact left by Jeanine Nicarico, the young girl at the center of one of the county’s most troubled crimes. Construction is underway and is slated to be completed in fall 2013. The groundbreaking was held on July 17, 2012.

•   Ping Tom Memorial Park Fieldhouse. Wight is leading the design and construction of a new fieldhouse at Ping Tom Memorial Park, located at 300 West 19th Street in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood. The total 28,000-square-foot project will consist of a 21,000-square-foot fieldhouse, a gymnasium and six-lane swimming pool. Design is underway and the facility opening is set for Sept. 21, 2013.

“We are honored to have been selected to work on these three outstanding local projects,” commented Mark T. Wight, chairman and chief executive officer at Wight. “We are looking forward to leveraging our world-class design build expertise to achieve the goals of each respective assignment.”

“The summer season—or construction season, as it is commonly referred to in the Chicagoland area—is an extremely busy time for Wight,” added Wight. “In addition to these three projects, we are currently managing numerous other construction sites throughout the area.” Additional projects underway include:

•   Lewis University Sheil Hall
•   Illinois State Toll and Highway Authority (ISTHA) Interchange at I-57 and I-80
•   DesPlaines School District 62 Phase 3 work, including the remodel of the Administration Center at Iroquois school, Plainfield Terrace and Orchard Place elementary schools
•   Valley View School District All-day Kindergarten expansions at 11 schools

About Wight & Company
Established in 1939, Wight & Company is a leader in integrated solutions for the built environment. With a professional staff of specialists, including 60 LEED® Accredited Professionals, Wight provides clients with comprehensive architecture, engineering and construction management services to the public and private sectors. As the first firm to receive Green Firm Certification from the Sustainable Performance Institute (SPI) and the architect of 30 LEED® certified or registered projects including silver, gold and platinum designations, Wight is committed to sustainable design and construction principles. It maintains offices in Chicago and Darien, Ill. For more information, visit www.wightco.com.