Administration Building
The Administration building, headquarters of the Exposition, can be said to strike the keynote of the entire architectural plan. Ultramodern in design, it was here that far-reaching experiments were made in unusual lighting and color effects, and in choice of construction plans and materials.
The Administration building stands to the left after you enter the North Entrance, an E-shaped structure clothed in ultra-marine blue. and yellow, with an entrance of silver, and it occupies an area of 67,000 square feet. The architects were Holabird & Root, and Hubert Burnham, and Edward H. Bennett.
Stand before it, and two heroic figures symbolizing the theme of the Fair science and industry greet your eyes, dominating the entrance. These figures were modeled in plaster by Alvin Meyer. Science is symbolized by the wheel of the zodiac at its base, and industry, by wheels and gears.
The Administration Building
Enter the main entrance hall. Here is a vast room, containing the world’s largest photo-mural, a view of the Exposition. A broad door opposite the entrance gives access to a corridor connecting the wings of the building and a wide stairway leading up to the foyer of the trustee’s room. The trustee’s room is famous for its modern simplicity. A high window at one end of the room commands a view of the Lagoon, Northerly island and Lake Michigan. Doors open out onto balconies on three sides of the room. On each side of a wide purple band, the ceiling and the walls are covered with flexwood, a veneer made from Australian lacewood mounted on cloth and applied like wall paper. The mural decorations are of imported inlaid veneers in the original colors of the various woods used.
A long, wedge-shaped table, unique and utilitarian, occupies the center of the room. Its tapering design enables each guest easily to see all others at the table. The portions of the E-shaped building devoted to offices and workrooms are arranged for the most efficient utilization of light and ventilation.
The building is an experiment indicating possible trends in office and factory construction. Its low cost per cubic foot, the high salvage value of its materials, and its easy adaptation to everyday work, offering an army of employees few steps to climb with no need for elevators, and giving the various offices convenient access to one another, suggest many possibilities for similar structures in the future. The roof insulation is of processed cornstalks. Asbestos cement board covers the outside walls. The inner sheathing is of plaster board. Into the two and three-quarter-inch space between the outer and inner walls, an insulating material of asphalt and wood was shot by pneumatic guns. The insulation provided by these materials is said to be equal to a 13-inch brick wall. These materials lend themselves to mass production, therefore, greater economy, and this, together with the ease of construction cut usual building costs to less than half!
The Administration Building
Board Room
The Administration Building
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