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The Equitable Building Rises Above the Rest

The lighting of the Magnificent Mile during the Christmas season is nothing less than spectacular. With thousands of lights turned on as Mickey and Minnie Mouse parade down Michigan Avenue, the festivities culminate at the magnanimous Equitable Building.

Kurt Anderson sits at his desk in the Engineering Office and reviews the building systems being monitored by a Johnson Controls Metasys Automation system.

Located at 401 N. Michigan, the Equitable Building is historically known as being located on the site where Jean Baptiste du Sable built the first permanent settler's cabin back when Chicago was first discovered. Although no longer in existence, the cabin has been noted in history books for future generations to read and learn about. In addition, such notable people as Cyrus McCormick, founder of International Harvester, was an original tenant of the building, and began one of the first reaper plants on the premises. Destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire, this site was to become a parking lot for many years before the Equitable was built.

(L to R) Zeller Management employees John Burke, Assistant Chief Engineer; Maggie Donius, Assistant General Manager; Kurt Anderson, Chief Engineer.

The Equitable Building began its existence in 1966 on property purchased by Equitable Life Assurance Company from the Tribune. But there was a condition that came with the purchase agreement. Equitable agreed that no structure was to be built taller than the Tribune Tower and the building was to be set back from Michigan Avenue so as not to obstruct the view for tenants of the Tribune Tower. Vanity on the part of the Tribune owners? Perhaps, but designer Bruce Graham used the rhythmic motion of the Chicago River reflecting off 35 stories of glazed bronze solar glass to create the allure of peaceful movement in a bustling city, making his building stand out above the crowd. Built by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, this 20th Century style building uses granite spandrels to mark the floors and slender, vertical piers to divide the windows into sets of four. Perhaps the most stunning feature of the building is the Plaza located at its entrance.

Some of the engineering staff of 401 N. Michigan, The team includes Kurt Anderson, Chief Engineer, John Burke, Assistant Chief; Jim Vorac, Donald Muench, Sean Murphy, Dan Spratt, Declan O'Donavan - Operating Engineers; and Jason Soliday, Chris Heramb, Allen Higgens and John Setzke - Engineer Trainees.

The Chief Engineer had the opportunity and pleasure of meeting with Kurt Anderson, Chief Engineer of the Equitable Building, to find out more about what makes this building work. In short, a high profile location, an awesome staff of people, and a great management team makes the Equitable what it is. But there is more to it than that. Starting as an apprentice, Kurt has been employed at the Equitable for the last 17 years. He began his career on the swing shift. Working both the day shift and the midnight shift, Kurt developed a good handle on what needed to be done on each shift and how long it should take. He was forming his own ideas of how things could be done better, more efficiently. In 1996 he was promoted to Assistant Chief, and in 1997 he had the opportunity to put in place the plans he had been making. Promoted to Chief Engineer in 1997, Kurt takes pride in the immaculate appearance of his work area as well as the rest of the building. Assisted by John Burke, Assistant Chief, and Operating Engineers Jim Vorac, Donald Muench, Sean Murphy, Dan Spratt, Declan O'Donavan and apprentices Jason Soliday, Chris Heramb, Allen Higgens and John Setzke, the staff brings anywhere from 4 to 35 years of experience to work each day. They have seen a lot of things happen, and are ready to handle them all. Kurt related that it has taken a long time to accomplish the results he envisioned, but it was worth it

The Engineering Office shows the many computer systems used to monitor the building and ensure the safety and comfort of all the tenants.

The Boiler Room is flanked by a work room providing all the latest tools to help the staff complete their job effortlessly.

As we walked through the physical plant we were intrigued by the vast differences in equipment located there. Kurt told us that is what makes his job so challenging. Running a mixture of vintage 1965 equipment with early to mid-1990's retrofits keeps the team hopping. The building is run with a pneumatic variable air volume control system, monitored by a Johnson Controls Metasys Automation system. Installed in 1988, the Johnson 85/40 lets the engineer monitor and adjust all aspects of the building's HVAC system as well as controlling lighting and water functions in the plaza. Five air compressors, three in the plant and two on the 35th floor, serve all the equipment.

Two of the five Quincy compressors used to supply control air to the building's pneumatic controls system.

The Equitable Building is run by high pressure steam generated by three Springfield 600 HP, high pressure water tube boilers. Operating at 200 PSI, these boilers will produce 22,000 lbs of steam per hour. All of these have been retrofitted with Cleaver Brooks controls and burn natural gas. Because they are working with steam, there must be one engineer on duty 24/7. Once the steam is produced, it is sent to pressure reducing stations that reduce 200 PSI steam to 15-20 PSI. From here the steam travels to the heat exchangers and fan pre-heat coils. One of the projects Kurt had been working on was an idea he had to make working in the boiler room easier. To that end, he had installed welding outlets on each side of every motor control center so that no matter where in the room someone was working, they would have immediate, easy access to an outlet. This improvement has proven beneficial many times since its implementation. In keeping with Kurt's plan, a boiler useful life evaluation/inspection on all three boilers has been completed over the last year and a half, giving them perfect operating status.

Number 1 and 2 boilers are seen here. The highly polished floors and general cleanliness of the room is an accomplishment handled by Kurt and his staff. It is clear that they take pride in the immaculate appearance of their workplace

Boiler number 3 is a Cleaver Brooks model. All three operate at 200 PSIG, and produce 22,000 Lbs. of steam per hour.

In addition to heating, steam is also used for cooling. As steam is produced in the boilers, it is sent directly to three Murray Steam Turbines. These high-pressure turbines serve as the drivers for three York centrifugal chillers, one 400-ton and two 1,500 ton. Kurt told us that one of the unique things about the building was that there were no cooling towers there. Condenser cooling is achieved through the use of Chicago River water. The river water enters the AC condenser where it is piped directly to the turbine surface condenser. Once it has accomplished its cooling task, the water is discharged back into the river. In addition, should a tenant need condensing water for their package unit, the Equitable team added on a tenant cooling system approximately 13 years ago. As of today, about 14 tenants make use of this feature.

Plate and frame heat exchangers for the tenant condenser system are color coded accoring to OSHA standards.

American Standard supply and return fans are spaced along the fan deck.

Three Murray steam turbines are used as drivers for the three York centrifugal chillers, one 400 ton and two 1,500 ton; used for air conditioning of the property.

As we traveled from the basement level, where all the equipment was located, to the lobby level, we marveled at the luxurious travel arrangements between floors. Eighteen Otis elevators decorated in wood grain and lined with mirrors emulated the luxurious outlay of the rest of the building.

One of three high pressure steam reducing stations, it is here that steam is reduced from 200 psig to 15-20 psig.

During our visit we met with Zeller Management's General Manager, Derrick Johnson, while he worked in his office. We commented on the beautiful view afforded by two complete walls lined with windows. Derrick related that while the view was great, windows such as these provided a large energy loss in the building. To combat this, an energy study done around 1986 suggested that windows be covered with protective window film to prevent loss of heating and cooling. Taken into consideration, each window was covered providing huge energy savings while keeping intact the view of the city outside. Derrick told us that Equitable had been the only building owner up to the point when Zeller Realty Corporation purchased the building in November of 2001.

Derrick Johnson, General Manager, was gracious enough to talk with us in his beautiful office graced with natural lighting provided by two walls with floor to ceiling windows.

At one point we walked into a huge crowd located just outside the elevators and wondered what was taking place. With the events of September 11th still on the minds of many building occupants, we were witnesses to a safety and evacuation training session being held by KVCL. Although the Equitable had an evacuation plan in place, the City of Chicago wanted a more detailed plan on file. Employees located in the elevator foyer were being trained in evacuation and safety techniques should the need ever arise. In addition, Kurt told us there was emergency voice communication available in the east and west stairwells on every fifth floor as well as audio/visual throughout the entire building. Furthermore, all of the engineers have been certified with the City of Chicago as Fire Safety Directors. Security was an important issue as well. A long-time supporter of the Chief Engineers Association, Aargus Security outfitted the building with security cameras and supplied a keycard access plan for building employees.

With the events of 9/11 on the minds of many, safety and evacuation training has become important. Here, KVCL Safety conducts and evacuation training class for building tenants.

Connecting the Equitable to The University of Chicago, Pioneer Court offers a quaint, picturesque setting for tenants and visitors alike to stop and enjoy the magnificent view of the Chicago River and surrounding buildings. Providing access to the riverbank below, a sweeping, spiral staircase leads you to umbrella-covered tables where a hectic schedule can be relieved by the opportunity to sit and enjoy the moment. A connecting pedway enables travelers to reach the university while enjoying the views along the Chicago River.

Looking west along the riverwalk, a breathtaking view of the Michigan Avenue bridge and Chicago cityscape can be seen. The court is a fine place to relax with a light lunch and enjoy the rythmic movement of the Chicago River.

However, the best was saved for last. Kurt took us outside to the Plaza area where five fountains, each unique in their own way, were surrounded by outstanding landscaping. Known as the "Channel Gardens", this attractive, wide open space is a big draw for many of the city's functions. Spouting forth between 11k and 32k gallons each, the fountains offer a mixture of "water shows" as water shoots forward in each of the five areas. For this reason chemical levels must be maintained on the fountain water. Enjoyed by hundreds on a daily basis, the water is drained and the fountains cleaned on a weekly basis. Chemicals are supplied by Nalco. This high profile area, located near the Tribune, Sun Times, and NBC properties, keeps the staff very busy. Although receiving a lot of publicity, both good and bad, the Plaza is actually enjoyed more for its quiet and beauty.

Channel Gardens provides a comfortable atmosphere for visitors and tenants alike to enjoy the cool breezes of a gorgeous Chicago Afternoon.

As we closed our interview with Kurt, he wanted us to know that The Chief Engineers Association has helped him tremendously in his career. When not at work, Kurt enjoys time with his wife, Mary, and their three children. And if that isn't enough, he enjoys motorcycling, camping and fishing.

The Plaza, located at the building entrance, is a popular gathering spot for everything from rallies to siteseers viewing the ever-popular lighting of Michigan Avenue during the Christmas season.

Driving through or past a big city, and even those not so big cities, we become immune to the structures located within. We take them for granted; they are "just there". Spending the day with the staff of the Equitable Building has shown us that the buildings are more than "just there". They are a lot of work to maintain, and it takes a staff as dedicated as that at the Equitable to accomplish that.

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