BEST TILE PROJECT

Tribune Tower — Administrative District Council 1 of Illinois

Signatory Contractor: Contract Flooring Service

Built in 1925, The Tribune Tower is a Neo-Gothic skyscraper and an iconic Chicago landmark located on the Northeast corner of Michigan Avenue. In 2016, it was announced that a major renovation would be taking place to convert the 36 floors of the Tribune tower into 162 residences with world-class amenities.

The renovation called for BAC members of Administrative District Council 1 of Illinois to spend over 43,000 hours completing the 50 unique bathroom layouts. The tile selected for the project would test their skills, as it covered the gamut of materials and sizes available in the industry.

The marble tile in the master bathrooms cover the walls from floor to ceiling. All the floor and wall joints are consistent and align with each other to create an aesthetic appeal that is pleasing to all who see it. The secondary bathroom floors all have stunning mosaic inlays and strict layout guidelines. Sheet mounted mosaic tile was installed in each shower, requiring BAC tile layers to float shower pans throughout each residence with sand and cement with precise and consistent pitch to linear drains. Waterproofing was then performed according to the manufacturers recommendations to ensure a watertight installation.

Quality control was very strict throughout the project. The tolerance on variation between one tile to the next was only 1 /32 inch and to complicate matters, each room had either a heated floor system or a rubber soundproofing underlayment installed under the tile. Multiple amenity areas featured porcelain and marble tile selections, including a large lap pool with a sun deck, multiple kitchens, public restrooms, a fitness center, lobbies, a resident lounge and stairways.

The BAC members of the ADC 1 of Illinois delivered a quality product that proves their eye for detail is second to none.