Hyatt Center - 71 South Wacker, Chicago

A shining curved skyscraper with an all-glass facade, the Hyatt Center in Chicago's Loop neighborhood is the first building built in Chicago post 9/11, and the first in the city designed by renowned architectural firm, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners – characteristically known for specifying the best of the best.

For the LEED Platinum Certified building (initially named Hyatt Center when it opened in 2005), Fabricoil® metal mesh drapery was included in the building's specification for its beauty, strength, and ability to blend natural, earthy design choices with more modern selections. More than 20 years later, the building at 71 South Wacker embodies the timelessly modern design appeal of Fabricoil while serving building occupants and visitors extremely well – providing privacy, reducing glare, and helping to reduce solar heat gain from the building's full-height glass facade throughout its welcoming lobby interior and select common areas.

Lead Designer Henry N. Cobb and his team chose full-length metal mesh curtains using 3/8” Antique Bronze Fabricoil, which was selected intentionally to complement other materials used throughout the space including real wood tables, flooring, and half-wall railings.

The central core design from PCF-P also features materials like stainless steel railings with large glass infill panels which mesh well with the coiled wire fabric’s high-end aesthetic – especially when specified in this dark antique bronze finish, which allows the metal curtains to serve as the meeting point for materials from such distinct ends of the design spectrum (steel/glass and wood) and beautifully reflects light from the integrated lighting above to bring beauty and privacy to the space along the building's outside perimeter of full-height glass. Ultimately, Fabricoil’s ability to complement a host of design choices allowed architects to produce multiple signature interior spaces for a best-in-class building that continues to impress visitors today.

(Note: As part of Chicago's evolving architectural landscape, this iconic building's interior has since been remodeled a few times.)