• Posted: May 13, 2019
• Safety

The transformation of Chicago’s West Loop and the Fulton Market District has reenergized the city’s west side and provided sleek new offices and residential units for corporations and business professionals alike. One such project that generated a lot of buzz and helped to transform Fulton Market was the relocation of McDonald’s global headquarters from suburban Oak Brook.

James McHugh Construction Co. was tasked with overseeing and implementing the core and shell construction of the 737,000 square-foot structure, which now houses all headquarters operations, test kitchens, Hamburger University, and a global restaurant concept featuring selections from McDonald’s menus around the world.

“It was a tremendous honor to be selected as general contractor for base building construction of such an iconic project,” said Ray Cisco, vice president of McHugh Construction. “We have a long-standing relationship with Sterling Bay and they knew we would deliver on time and within budget.”

McHugh got to work immediately and helped make the new headquarters one of Chicago’s fastest commercial builds. To satisfy the aggressive timeline, crews utilized the top-down construction method. Below-grade excavation and above-grade construction happened simultaneously, resulting in the core and shell of the building going up in approximately five months. On its interior, the building houses a 700-seat conference center, a five-story atrium, multiple test kitchens, flexible work spaces, and employee amenity areas.

The building’s massive footprint extended into the community with the addition of 1,400 short-term construction jobs and over 70 tier-one, tier-two, and general conditions subcontractors. This led to an employment boom during construction and the end result was 2,000 jobs coming to the heart of Chicago where people dine, shop, and live.

“Whether it’s a Fortune 500 company like McDonald’s – or a tech startup with a handful of employees – companies big and small recognize that Chicago is a great place to do business,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said during the 2016 groundbreaking ceremony.

Those 1,400 short-term construction jobs were part of roughly 2,500 construction professionals who logged a combined one-million work hours to ensure the project got done on time and on budget. But what might be most impressive is that of all those working on site, the job recorded zero injuries.

“Regardless of the project or the scope, our number one priority – and one of our core values – is ‘everyone home safely every day,’” said Jerry Flemming, vice president of risk management for McHugh. “We accomplished that here while helping construct a piece of history to the Fulton Market neighborhood, and that’s a great feeling.”

The record for zero injuries is made all the more impressive considering the size of the worksite footprint, where the building was being construction in the heart of one of the city’s busiest financial districts, and because of the below-grade construction efforts.

McHugh’s efficient work helped bring McDonald’s back to Chicago after 47 years in the suburbs and continues a remarkable transformation of the city’s west side. The new headquarters sits at the center of continued growth within Chicago and will help expand the city’s business reputation for decades to come.