Two teams from ESD now Stantec and Stantec join a total of 600 Women Build volunteers in this year’s effort by Habitat for Humanity to construct houses for Chicago women who might not otherwise be able to afford a new home. (Learn more about Habitat for Humanity Chicago’s Women Build.)
Residents of Chicago’s historic Englewood neighborhood are pointing to a new 25-foot-tall art installation at 6701 South Wentworth Avenue as a symbol of inspiration, hope, and achievement for students living in the southside community.
ASPIRE was recently unveiled as “A Monument Celebrating Englewood’s Educational Legacy and the Promise of Its Future Generations.” Crafted by local art activist Maxwell Emcays, the monument was commissioned by Chicago real estate developer Sterling Bay with architectural design and construction support from and Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC) and Skender. ESD, now Stantec provided structural engineering and electrical engineering consulting.
ESD, now Stantec Structural Engineering Senior Managing Director David Weihing says his team was happy to provide pro bono support for the project over the past year as a way of giving back to the community. Weihing says “In an under-celebrated neighborhood like Englewood, it’s exciting to see a landmark people can rally behind.” Weihing continues “It’s good for us to use our skills to give back to a community that doesn’t always have an opportunity to improve its environment.”
Speaking of the artist, Weihing says “It’s beautiful to see how he brought this together, how he crafted it, how he worked with the backbone of the structure that we’ve provided. (Maxwell) was very hands-on, so I think it turned out great. As Sterling Bay said, they hope this serves as a visible catalyst to next-step development that they want to see happen on the site. Sort of a sign of things to come.”
During the design process, the artist decided to internally light the monument. ESD, now Stantec’s electrical engineers were able to help make that vision a reality. The monument commemorates the legacy of the former home of Kennedy-King College. The artwork celebrates those who foster the academic aspirations of local students, and the promise of its future generations to achieve their highest potential.
ESD, now Stantec is proud to contribute to our local communities through donated services and other volunteer activities.
To learn more about ESD, now Stantec’s culture of community support, visit our website.
