“Anywhere where you can see [the Merchandise Mart] in the background, you will be treated to a dazzling display of animated digital art as the building is drenched in light from the projections across the river.” - Stewart Hicks
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“A longtime collaborator with the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, Dewalt carried out multiple projects over the years starting with the renovation of the first and second floors in the late ’80s. In later years, he led a design team in creating Art on theMART.” - Interior Design Magazine Editors
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“Big Marsh Park is the Chicago Park District’s largest reclamation project—a natural landscape damaged by slag from nearby steel mills. At the park’s entrance, the Ford Calumet Environmental Center (FCEC) serves as both a gateway and a hub—educating visitors about its past and setting precedent for a new, sustainable future throughout the Calumet Region.” -VDT via Paula Pintos at Archdaily
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“The space had to be partially redesigned in the summer of 2020 to cater to a collaborative work environment, where, ‘Most people are coming into the office to interact with others,’ instead of doing heads-down work, said Glassdoor’s Chief People Officer Carina Cortez.” - Chase DiFeliciantonio, San Francisco Chronicle
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“Aiming to cultivate advocacy for the restoration and conservation of the Calumet Region's environment and natural ecosystems, the center features an exhibit that tells the story of its setting and the people who have been a part of it throughout its history.” - AIA Chicago
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“As one the largest suppliers of brewer’s yeast in the U.S., the Omega Yeast production facilities set a new precedent for the beer making industry.“ -CoreNet Global
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“As designers, we take a research-based approach to the design process; it is immersive and specific. This process allows us to explore the client’s DNA, user profile, research best practices and discover early on what “Green” strategies should be integrated in the project..“ -VDT via Architizer Editors
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“The closest connection to the city sewer lines was several miles away, at the southern city limits. It would be just $2 Million just to flush the toilets,” says Alexander Raynor of Valerio Dewalt Train Associates., which designed the building. An on-site wastewater recycling system would be approximately half as expensive.“ -Zach Mortice, Landscape Architecture Magazine
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“Designed by Chicago-based architecture firm Valerio Dewalt Train Associates (VDTA), the center sits at the gateway of a 280-acre park called Big Marsh...In 2016, the brownfield was reborn into a verdant park, complete with a 40-acre bike park, walking trails aplenty, and vast wildlife habitats.“ -Elissaveta Brandon, Fast Company
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“With a design from Valerio Dewalt Train Associates and Site Design Group, the plan calls for the enhancement of the existing accessible entrance, the rebuilding of the north terrace, and the enclosure of the lakeside terrace.“ -Lukas Kugler, Urbanize
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“Valerio Dewalt Train will lead the design of the transformative revamp…“ -Matt Hickman, The Architect’s Newspaper
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The Ford Calumet Environmental Center took first place in the “Environmental Impact” category in Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year Awards 2021.
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“The project will transform much of the Shedd’s mission, both onsite and across the Chicago area — on the water, in nature and in field-based research.“ -Miriam Di Nunzio, Chicago Sun Times
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“The firm opted to go with a hybrid workplace model based on guidance from its principals, who heard from employees that they wanted to continue to have that flexibility.“ -Francine Knowles, Chicago Tribune
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“This video follows Hiba Bhatty, an architect at VDT, through a day on the job. The daily activities of an architect can sometimes seem mysterious. This is likely due to the fact that no day is really ‘typical.’“ -ArchDaily
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The Ford Calumet Environmental Center received an Honorable Mention in the “Green Building” category in The Architect’s Newspaper 2021 Best of Design Awards.
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“The architects of these projects are re-thinking how architecture and design relates to the natural world and believe that design can help us avoid climate catastrophe.“ -Metropolis Magazine
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“The Ford Calumet Environmental Center at Chicago’s Big Marsh park is part classroom, part museum, and all about environmental remediation.“ -Lee Bey, Metropolis Magazine
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“Big Marsh is home to the Ford Calumet Environmental Center, an educational hub where visitors can learn about everything from the land’s indigenous heritage to the various native plants, animals and insects that call the area home.“ -Emma Krupp, TimeOut Chicago
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“Yet the future remains bright as the site become part of an Invest South/West proposal, planning to bring 72 residential units along with the aforementioned amenities designed by VDT Associates and Latent Design.“ -Ian Achong, Yimby
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