Precast concrete homes: Using Precast Concrete Walls Panels, Just 48 Hours to Built in making of Live and Work Space. For an industrious Chicago couple set up shop in a historic manufacturing district almost overnight using prefab concrete panels. Despite the proximity of live and work spaces: Incorporating both elements into a single building is practically unheard of in the area. As Daniel Staackmann and Nicole Sopko discovered. When they began researching the arterial as a home for themselves. And their vegan food company, Upton’s Naturals.
Precast Concrete Home for Live and Work Space.
The business, founded by Daniel in 2006, requires space for office and storefront operations, as well as manufacturing for their signature product, seitan, a protein-filled meat alternative made by rinsing the starch from wheat. Daniel knew he wanted to be close at all times, a decision that greatly narrowed their search.
Precast concrete advantages and disadvantages:
- Project : Upton’s Naturals Live-Work Space
- Architect : UrbanLab
Looking to offset the cost of construction, Daniel and Nicole, Upton’s vice president, turned to architect Martin Felsen and designer Sarah Dunn of UrbanLab. The designers had used prefab elements( precast concrete ) to make their own live-work space, and set out to create a mixed-use building that wouldn’t shortchange any of Upton’s functions.
Going completely prefab, the UrbanLab team reasoned, would mitigate cost but would also sacrifice flexibility. “Everybody’s dream is: You call and order a home, and two weeks later it arrives,” Dunn says. “Our strategy is to prefab intelligently.”
Precast products:
To that end, Dunn and Felsen proposed a solution that takes full advantage of the corner lot’s siting. Over two days in late 2013, 20 precast concrete panels were trucked in and hoisted into place.
With the building’s three-story raw precast concrete shell erected. The team spent the next six months installing everything. From industrial freezers to the residents’ modern art collection.
What emerged is a holistic live-work residence, that lets Daniel and Nicole handle all their business in-house. With an interior measuring 8,340 square feet, the space seems imposing, but the designers insist there isn’t an inch of fat.
- Manufacturing and retail occupy the first floor.
- Offices are located on the second.
The precast house residents took care to make the business as amenable to its neighbors and 20-person staff as possible. “I’ve done every job here,” says Daniel. “So I know what it’s like to work eight hours in an industrial kitchen.” The factory floor is bathed in sunlight, while the vegan cafe. Upton’s Breakroom, beckons passersby through glass walls.
Like the work environments: The 1,435-square-foot top-floor precast concrete apartment, prioritizes natural light and functionality. The bedroom, kitchen, and living area form a U shape around a capacious roof deck. With breathtaking views of downtown Chicago.
Even in their sanctuary, the couple’s work ethic occasionally finds a precast concrete home. A room off the kitchen has hosted yoga classes led by Nicole. Just one of the ways the building opens itself, to residents of the area.
On a typical weekday lunch hour. Upton’s Break room is busy with regulars from the nearby warehouses. “We live in this neighborhood, we have a neighborhood business, and the neighbors come,” says Nicole.
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