McDonald’s corporate commitment to sustainability is at the core of the new restaurant design. The structural system, Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), will be the first commercial use in Chicago and has a lighter environmental footprint than concrete and steel. The solar pergola captures the sun’s energy, supplying part of the buildings consumption needs. Throughout the site, permeable paving is used to reduce storm water runoff and the heat island effect. The building is designed to achieve LEED Platinum performance.

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The new Chicago Flagship celebrates the pure simplicity and enduring authenticity of McDonalds, welcoming both residents and visitors to a playful and informal gathering place in the heart of the city.

The site is a full city block, just steps off Michigan Avenue, occupied since 1985 by the iconic “Rock ‘n Roll” McDonalds that emphasized drive through services. The new design re-balances car-pedestrian traffic creating a city oasis where people can eat, drink and meet. Green space is expanded over 400%, producing a new park-like amenity for a dense area of the city.

A generous solar pergola visually unites the restaurant into a single volume. Beneath this “big roof”, indoor dining areas, contained in a pure glass box, are seamlessly connected to outdoor spaces. The new kitchen reuses the footprint and structure of the previous store and comprises a second concrete clad box.

The dining room features a garden planted with ferns and white birch trees floating above a digital ordering “street”. From this vantage point guests can experience the landscape beyond and above. Over shared tables with wireless charging and outlets, “tapestries” of living plants improve indoor air quality and provide a backdrop of green gradients. What might surprise many can be found on the adjacent kitchen roof: a row of harvestable apple trees can be seen through a clerestory window, telling a story about the future of urban farming and the utilization of often underused space.  

Team:

Architects: Ross Barney Architects

Client: McDonald’s Corporation

Collaborative Partners:
Landini Associates, Interior Design
Goodfriend Magruder Structures, Structural Engineer
Omni Ecosystems, Living Wall and Green Roof Design/Installation
Schuler Shook, Lighting Design
WCW Engineers, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, and Plumbing EngineerDickerson Electrical Engineers, Electrical Engineer
Watermark Engineering, Civil Engineer
Day and Night Solar, Solar Panel Design/Installation
Compass Surveying, Surveying
Sevan Solutions, Project Management

Photographer: © Kendall McCaugherty, Hall + Merrick

Omni Ecosystems designed, supplied, installed, and now maintains the green infrastructure elements at the new McDonald's Chicago Flagship restaurant. 

A woody-grove ecosystem, including birch trees with an understory comprised of ferns and sedges, floats in an open-air glass atrium above McDonald's self-ordering kiosks. The suspended shade garden connects the inside of the restaurant with nature. Omni Ecosystems’ ultra-lightweight growing media enables the garden to exist with two columns and cross-laminated beams.

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Above the dining area, a 792 square-foot living wall by Omni Ecosystems is a visual amenity that improves air quality, dampens noise, and continues the connection between indoors and outside.

A rooftop apple orchard, visible to diners through a clerestory window, is a third surprising landscape. The orchard harnesses unused rooftop space growing 15 apple trees of the Gala and Pink Lady varieties. Edible plants comprise the orchard’s understory, including a mix of arugula, broccoli, and carrots. Once harvested, the franchisee intends to donate the produce to a local Ronald McDonald House.

This 19,000-square-foot steel and wood timber constructed restaurant was inspired by McDonald’s commitment to sustainability and has abundant green spaces and energy saving features. The 19,000-square-foot steel and wood timber constructed restaurant was inspired by McDonald’s commitment to sustainability and has abundant green spaces and energy saving features.

Enhanced energy performance with an on-site solar panel array for renewable energy collection to offset part of the restaurant’s non-renewable energy consumption; interior and exterior LED lighting; and energy efficient kitchen and HVAC equipment including energy saving freezer/coolers, low oil fryers, energy efficient fans and more.

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Opening on August 9, McDonald’s newly designed restaurant at Clark and Ontario streets is unlike any in the company’s portfolio

McDonald’s today unveiled its reimagined flagship restaurant at Clark and Ontario streets in Chicago, showcasing a one-of-a-kind modern and environmentally-friendly design and enhanced customer experience with self-order kiosks, table service, mobile order and payment, and delivery.

“Chicago is truly a special place for McDonald’s. Not only is it the new home for our modern global headquarters but new restaurant experiences that are unique to this city,” said McDonald’s President and CEO Steve Easterbrook. “We are proud to open the doors to this flagship restaurant which symbolises how we are building a better McDonald’s for our customers and the communities where they live.”

The 19,000-square-foot steel and wood timber constructed restaurant was inspired by McDonald’s commitment to sustainability and has abundant green spaces and energy saving features.

Highlights include:

·        More than 70 trees at the ground level, a vegetated roof space and a floating glass garden of ferns and white birch trees. Native and drought resilient plants are being used throughout the landscape along with permeable pavers for the lot surface to minimize irrigation and reduce storm water runoff.

·        Enhanced energy performance with an on-site solar panel array for renewable energy collection to offset part of the restaurant’s non-renewable energy consumption; interior and exterior LED lighting; and energy efficient kitchen and HVAC equipment including energy saving freezer/coolers, low oil fryers, energy efficient fans and more.

·        Expansive pedestrian-centric space featuring plazas with outdoor seating and a park area.

·        An enhanced McCafé presence with a separate counter and baked goods display.

·        Increased focus on hospitality with guest experience leaders and table service.

“This is one of the most amazing McDonald’s restaurants I’ve ever seen and a great fit for this iconic location,” said McDonald’s Owner-Operator Nick Karavites. “I know Chicago will be as proud as I am to have this one-of-a-kind restaurant in our great city.”

Set to open to the public on Thursday, August 9, the restaurant will operate seven days a week and 24 hours a day, serving both drive-thru and dine-in customers.

The restaurant was designed by Chicago-based Ross Barney Architects, known for their design of Chicago’s Riverwalk amongst other projects throughout the U.S. The modern interior including furniture, graphics and layout were designed by Sydney-based Landini Associates, a worldwide known design firm that has collaborated on other McDonald’s projects. The restaurant is applying to become LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.

The Chicago flagship is one of the latest McDonald’s locations to undergo transformation into an “Experience of the Future” restaurant designed to dramatically enhance the customer experience with more convenience, personalization and choice. McDonald’s EOTF restaurants leverage the convenience and technology of kiosk ordering and table service, the increasing functionality of the mobile app and the hospitality of the McDonald’s crew members all in a more modern and exciting restaurant environment. McDonald’s has approximately 5,000 EOTF restaurants in the U.S. to date with plans to transform most all freestanding restaurants by 2020.