Tag Archives: Chicago area

Walsh-Higgins Office Building

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Wlash-Higgins Office Building

Walsh-Higgins Office Building

Randal was retained by a real estate development company in Chicago called Walsh-Higgins, to render a proposed office building to be located next to the Walgreens headquarters in the northern suburbs of Chicago. The architectural design blueprint drawings were provided. Randal first created a 3D wirefame model of the building on his Mac using a 3D modeling software. The final perspective view was transferred to watercolor board and then inked by hand using sepia ink in Rapidograph pens. The final step was to add Windsor & Newton watercolor washes to the bring out color, forms, tone and texture. The finished art was 20 x 30 inches, and was drum scanned for 4-color offset printing plates and reproduction.

Wacker Drive Streetscape

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In the 1980′s Randal shared office space with an architectural and planning firm called Boyer, Hoppe & Associates. This firm had a client comprised of the major tenants along Wacker Drive, one of Chicago’s more famous business streets, as it follows the east and south side of the Chicago River. Along Wacker Drive are buildings such as the Sears Tower, the Civic Opera House, 333 W. Wacker Dr. (the building BIRKEY.COM is located in), the Leo Burnett building, and many others.

These and other tenants contracted BHA to design a plan for upgrading and beautifying the street level experience of Wacker Drive. The BHA Development Plan called for center plantings, obelisks, paving, flags, and many other enhancements that were eventually implemented and are still experienced to this day.

Wacker Drive Streetscape - Development Plan

Wacker Drive Streetscape - Development Plan

The original art was roughly 6 feet wide by 2 feet high done on D’Arches rough watercolor paper. The line work was done by hand with pencil and Rapidograph sepia ink pens. The Windsor & Newton watercolor washes were then added by Randal as well. The final art was commercially mounted and displayed in various venues in Chicago until it made it’s final place in the architectural design studio of Jonathan Boyer and Heidi Hoppe. I’m not sure where the original art is today. Anybody out there know?

Shedd Aquarium & Oceanarium Campus Map

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Shedd Aquarium & Oceanarium Campus Map

Shedd Aquarium & Oceanarium Campus Map

Randal Birkey was contacted by the world famous John G. Shedd Aquarium and Oceanarium in 1991, to illustrate their new campus map, and new facility floor plan based upon the major building expansion project they were completing.

Based upon architectural and engineering blueprints, Randal constructed a new campus master plan in Adobe Illustrator, reflecting the addition of the Oceanarium, and the connections to the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and nearby parks and Chicago lake front recreational facilities.

Parkway North Office Building Site Plan

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Parkway North Office Building Site Plan

Parkway North Office Building Site Plan

Randal Birkey was commissioned by Chicago commercial real estate development firm LaSalle Partners to prepare a site plan of a new development in the northern suburbs of Chicago. This color study was done on neutral gray illustration board using color pencils.

The Alter Group Site Plans

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The Alter Group - Typical Site Plan

The Alter Group - Typical Site Plan

During the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s, Randal Birkey created hundreds of maps, site plans, master plans and architectural renderings of real estate development projects by The Alter Group. The Alter Group has been a real estate developer in the Chicago area for over 50 years, responsible for many of the most prestigious business developments in the area.

The illustration style we adopted was a loose, sepia pen & ink line style with watercolor added for texture and color. This look became part of The Alter Group brand look and design during those years.

Randal’s friend Rich Nickel and Rich Nickel Design became The Alter Group’s preferred design firm, keeping the standard of their visual design and brand standards very high.

This site plan was from the Lake Center commercial business development, and the one below was the Tektronix location development plan.

The Alter Group - Typical Site Plan

The Alter Group - Typical Site Plan