The Orchard, a luxury condominium project in Chicago, was honored with the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute’s 2022 Sidney Freedman Craftsmanship Award. The prestigious annual award recognizes PCI-certified plants for excellence in manufacturing and craftsmanship of architectural precast concrete and glass fiber-reinforced concrete (GFRC) structures and individual components.
Lombard Architectural Precast Products Company’s plant in Alsip, Ill., was selected by judges for manufacturing the project’s exterior precast concrete panels with a limestone-like finish. The structure’s intricate balcony design, roof-level cornices, door and window trim, and various lineal reveals required unique formwork with highly complex build-ups and precise detailing. Lombard Architectural Precast cast more than 400 precast concrete panels to realize the architect’s design and detailing goals.