Project Overview

The school uses the athletic field for daily recess, physical education and competitive sporting events such as soccer games and field hockey matches. The new MONDO turf field system provides an eco-friendly, comfortable surface for athletes while improving the drainage system to meet the water detention requirements for the City of Chicago. The installation of new running track surfaces, retaining walls and fencing, landscaping and a 300-sqft storage and toilet room building supplemented the new field.

Approach

Logistics Planning & Coordination

Francis W. Parker School is located in the heart of Chicago's Lincoln Park Neighborhood. Facilitating truck deliveries in this dense, residential area required close coordination with the community to minimize disruptions to traffic flow.

Turf System Design & Performance

Selecting the right infill system for the athletic field was important to the project. Researchers have raised serious concerns about the potential health and environmental risks associated with the use of crumb rubber from recycled tires in synthetic turf fields. To ensure the safety of the field users, the project team selected MONDO's Ecofill Star system because it does not contain any of the potentially harmful substances found in crumb rubber infill.

Schedule

Our team completed the project during the school's summer break, which spanned three months. To meet this aggressive timetable, the field was installed at the speedy rate of 20,000 sqft per day.

Outcomes

The new high-performance field is an integral part of the Francis W. Parker School curriculum and campus. The project resulted in several benefits for the school, including increased drainage performance leading to fewer cancelled sporting events due to pooled water on the field. The improved appearance of the landscaping and fencing better reflects the beauty of the surrounding Lincoln Park architecture.