Multifamily Case Study: Chicago’s Sage West Loop
/Sage West Loop, Chicago – Savvy Developer Targets Young Renters in a Hip, Thriving Neighborhood
Tandem Architecture’s attention to detail and choice of “spa-like” materials fills buildings fast.
Sage West Loop, a 196-unit multifamily gem in Chicago’s near west, is designed for young movers and shakers who have left crash-pad living in the rearview mirror.
“Sage is a sister building to the Avra, just a block away, says Christopher Walsh, Principal Architect and Team Member of developer Tandem Partners.
“We have a theme for each building, and with Sage, we decided it would be the Ford F150. Functional, rugged, industrial chic, something you can point to when making decisions … ‘would an F150 have this kind of chandelier’?”
Sage is perfect for up-and-comers just out of college and aiming high. “We’re not the low end of the market, but we’re not the high super high end either. I’d put this project in the middle to upper end for Chicago.”
Clean Details
“Tandem likes to focus on the quality details, the design details, and Sage definitely reflects that,” says Brenda Radziwon, Director of Sales and Marketing at cabinetmaker Quest Engineering. “By Chicago standards it’s not a large building, but it is hip, in a cute boutique-y way. Shortly after opening it was 65% occupied, which is great in this competitive market.”
As with most now-generation multifamily projects, Sage has amenities aplenty for both people and pets, with coworking enclaves and access to the outdoors. Kitchen storage is particularly generous, with full-size cabinets and clean light-woodgrain doors with a raw-wood texture that pops in the light from the building’s floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Tandem really has a great team. They pay close attention to the layout and details – how appliances are integrated, the way casework and counters are finished and terminated, right down to the base molding. They’re very intentional with how they put these units together, keeping in mind what people really need for storage,” says Radziwon.
“And the way they use a second piece of overlay filler that flushes with the door makes these cabinets really look built-in. Overhang doors that don’t need pulls, touch latches on the doors over appliances, low-profile pulls on the base cabinets, it’s very uncluttered. They take their finishes and installations very seriously.”
Natural Designs in TFL
Sage’s kitchens are done in a subtly striking oak design from the ARAUCO Prism TFL Taction series of EIR (embossed in register) designs.
“It’s a lighter wood grain [WF441 Burlap—see currently available oak designs here], very clean, very natural, very minimal,” says Radziwon. “I’d say it evokes a spa environment, which works with the building’s name.
TFL – thermally fused laminate – “used to be kind of a unicorn, people couldn’t figure out what it was, so you had to do a lot of explaining. Now it It’s much more common. Mainstream cabinet manufacturers, brands everybody knows, are incorporating it into their product offerings. It’s just part of the market now.”
For the record, TFL is composite wood core to which paper-based decorative and wear layers are thermally fused – not glued – to the faces. It's durable enough to easily meet the demands of commercial, healthcare, retail, and other tough applications. In residential, no other material gives you as many great design and texture options with this level of toughness at anywhere near TFL’s price point.
“TFL is used often in multifamily work because it’s so low maintenance and we know it holds up over time,” says Radziwon. “These doors and panels can be easily replaced with perfect matches if needed, even years down the road, because with TFL the color is always going to be consistent. It's not like you're dealing with a cherry or maple veneer that's going to mellow over time and change color as it ages. “
“This is why it’s a popular option for designers and architects. It just makes their jobs easier, and drastically reduces callbacks.”
Prism TFL is also found in the bathrooms in the Stromboli design, a bit darker than Burlap but in the same family. The bathrooms are a bit warmer, with a lot of light tile and floating vanities. “Again,” says Radziwon “very clean and spa-like.”
Made in North America
For the past several years, companies like Quest have seen increased interest in panels made in the U.S. During the pandemic it wasn’t uncommon to have a boat full of materials or cabinets circling in the Pacific for months. Buildings that were otherwise ready to open sat empty, costing thousands of dollars a day.
“General contractors like to know that our panels are coming from Michigan [ARAUCO’s Grayling, MI plant], not overseas,” says Radziwon, “and they want assurances that everything was sourced responsibly.”
Overall, she says Sage was “pretty easy.” Quest has worked with Tandem on several previous projects and they’ve settled into a comfortable cadence from building to building, having “worked out the kinks several projects ago.”
“ARAUCO makes Prism easy to specify. They’re reliably on top of the trends in the market and seem to have a really good feel for what people are looking for. In project work, it's always a little tricky. You're planning so far in advance, you’re making decisions and trying to envision trends two or three years down the road. You can’t open a 200-unit building and have it look instantly dated!
“Designers are comfortable picking Prism designs because they know it won’t be dated by the time their projects open.”
Impressing the Client
Quest has earned their place as Tandem’s preferred casework supplier, says Walsh.
“They’ve done every project we’ve built so far, four buildings. Their attention to quality, bringing in upgrades like soft-close doors and drawers, and delivering simple, sleek, clean European kitchens…they reinforce our vision for these buildings.
“I’m an architect, and I’ve recommended Quest to other developers. I had them do my own house. They’re that good.”
Project Dossier
Property:
Sage West Loop, 1044 Van Buren, Chicago
Developer:
Tandem Partners LLC
Architect:
Antunovich Architects, Chicago
Cabinetmaker:
Quest Engineering, Richfield, Wisconsin
Materials: TFL
Bathroom: WF397 Stromboli, Prism TFL from ARAUCO, in Medina texture. An overall mid-tone brown featuring hints of blonde and burnt grey. With a distressed feel, the design structure keeps pace with today’s growing trend toward reclaimed natural materials.
Kitchen: WF441 Burlap*in Taction Oak texture, from Prism TFL.
Taction Oak designs feature an exclusive, synchronized texture to an exclusive contemporary oak design in a variety of contemporary colorways.
Sustainability:
The materials discussed in this case study sequester more naturally captured carbon than is released in creating and installing them. This unique property is referred to as “carbon negative,” or climate positive, because of the net effect on atmospheric C02, greenhouse gas reduction and climate change mitigation
Prism TFL is manufactured using composite panel substrates that are certified to CPA ECC 4-19, EPA TSCA Title VI/CARB-2 and meets relevant green building standard requirements, including those found in LEED, Green Globes, IgCC, and the CALGreen Code. ARAUCO offers cradle-to-gate information through the industry-wide Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for particleboard and MDF manufactured in North America.
FSC® Certified* (as specified)
ARAUCO is the world’s first forestry company to be certified carbon neutral.
All photography by Kenn Busch.