Contruction Today - July/August 2017 - 53

roof deck and garden, guest entertainment center, heated garage and
daily dry cleaning drop-off and pickup service.
The building will feature a mix of condos and penthouses costing
between $900,000 and $5.4 million. The project consists of renovating an existing five-story, brick timber loft building and adding
three stories to it, about 60,000 square feet of space.
"Most developers were looking to demolish the building but we
saw a lot of benefits in the loft space," Wilke says. "Timber loft spaces cannot be recreated, so the challenge from the construction side
was worth it. The end result is going to be a very unique addition to
the market."
Designing and implementing the new addition, along with
connecting it to the existing structure, was the main challenge. Once
complete, the building will have extensive loft space with soaring
ceilings, and unique structural elements like bare timbers, large
windows and exposed brick.
Another unique project involves converting a 118-year-old
building near Chicago's Harold Washington Library into student
housing. The Plymouth Building, built in 1899, was an 11-story
office complex. Nearly complete, the building now has 12 stories and
an additional 3,000 square feet of living space.
"It's another unique project because it's a very tall and narrow
building," Wilke says, adding that each floor only takes up about 3,000
square feet. "So upgrading the building to meet code is challenging and
required a lot of collaboration with the city's building department."
The 33-unit housing complex will cater to students at Columbia College, Roosevelt University and other nearby colleges. At a
construction cost of roughly $7.5 million, the project also is classified as adaptive reuse. Since it received a historic tax credit rating,
LG Construction is restoring the old lobby inside the building and
adding features like historic custom windows. Bedrooms inside the
units will cost from $850 to $1,400 per month.

Construction recently
» LGcompleted
Katana, a $4 million
Japanese restaurant in Chicago.

LG Construction Group followed in 2008. Since then, the company
has been dedicated to establishing itself as a premier full-service general contracting and development firm.
Whether building a single-family home, boutique restaurant
or a large multi-unit building, LG has plenty of experience. The
company's services also include pre-construction, interior design
and consulting services. The pre-construction checklist includes
assembling the project team, from architects to attorneys, designers
and engineers, realtors and inspectors and finishers.

Boutique Restaurants
LG Construction has always been known for its work with modern
and unique restaurants - often known as boutique restaurants. "We
are geared toward the exclusive, boutique, high-design and higher-end restaurants," Wilke says. "The process of these projects is often
quite rigorous so seeing the finished product is especially rewarding."
The company just completed a $4 million project for a client in
Los Angeles that is opening a Japanese restaurant in Chicago's River
North district. Called Katana, the Robatayaki-style restaurant occupies roughly 13,000 square feet.
"The ceiling millwork structure is extremely unique and serves as
the main design element of the space," Wilke says. "It's almost like a
'Jenga' of massive wood beams that are suspended from the ceiling.
We had to work with our millworkers and design team to find ways
to install the beams specific for this project."

Experienced Service
LG Development Group was founded in 2005 by Brian Goldberg
and Marc Lifshin as a real estate development company focused on
producing luxury residential and commercial properties.

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