Chicago Deep Dish: Building Codes

Matthew Beaudet was appointed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot on July 31, 2020, and confirmed by City Council on October 7, 2020, to serve as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Buildings (DOB), a 295‐person department with an annual budget of $37 million. DOB enhances the safety and quality of life for residents and visitors of the City of Chicago through permitting, inspections, trade licensing, and enforcement of the Chicago Construction Codes.  Prior to his appointment, Beaudet served as the First Deputy Commissioner of the Department since 2011 where he worked to implement multiple reforms that have streamlined the permit process for all building projects. From single-family-home renovations to large-scale developments, the reforms make it quicker and more efficient to obtain a permit than ever before. Beaudet was integral in the move to electronic plan review in 2012, establishing Chicago as the first city to implement an electronic processing for all permit applications requiring architectural drawings. In 2019, Beaudet worked on the team that led the City’s adoption of the first full rewrite of the Chicago Building Code in 70 years, making Chicago was one of the first major jurisdictions in the U.S. to align with the 2018 International Building Code.  Beaudet also served as the First Deputy Commissioner for the Chicago Department of Public Health, the Assistant Director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, the Chief of Electronic Tolling at the Illinois Tollway, and the Assistant Director of the Chicago Department of Administrative Hearings.    The first Native-American appointed to serve as a City Commissioner, Beaudet is a citizen of the Montauk Tribe, active in local and national civil rights issues and co-founder and first president of the Illinois Native American Bar Association. He was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve on the Committee on Character and Fitness from 2000 to 2009 and is a past recipient of the Illinois Bar Association’s Community Service Award. Beaudet is also a fifth-generation Chicagoan and active in volunteer work with the Chicago Public Schools.  Beaudet holds a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University of Chicago, a law degree from the John Marshall Law School, and was admitted to the practice of law in Illinois in 1989.  Born in Logan Square he resides in Irving Park with wife and children.  Commissioner Beaudet, and the entire Department of Buildings team, look forward to providing quality service as we commit to the equitable strengthening of investment and quality of life for all 77 communities of the City of Chicago.

Benjamin founded Cyclone in 2012, after working as a design consulting engineer for ten years, with a vision of making the world more efficient. He established Cyclone to provide a unique service to help design, build and operate high-performance buildings. His background in design and experience with solving complex issues has allowed him to build a company that challenges the built environment to explore new ways to save resources. Over his career, he has helped create some of the most energy efficient and unique buildings in the world. Projects include supertall high-rise buildings, net-positive energy designs, LEED Platinum and WELL Certified buildings. He has earned the prestigious ASHRAE International Design Award for the Walgreens Net Zero Energy Store. In 2015 he was named 40 under 40 by Consulting Specifying Engineer Magazine and in 2016 was awarded best commercial design in ASHRAE’s International design competition. Benjamin served ASHRAE, a 57,000 member International engineering society, as the Director and Regional Chair of Region VI from 2016 to 2019. He has contributed to several technical committees that have helped establish important industry standards and guidelines, most notably areas of expertise focused on commissioning and refrigerated cold storage. In 2013 he co-authored the first guideline for modeling refrigerated cold storage facilities for LEED Certification for the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW) and International Association for Cold Storage Construction. (IACSC)

Heather Morrison is the Founder and CEO of Morrison Architectural Planning Strategies, LLC, and MAP Studio LLC, a WBE-licensed architecture firm. She is an architectural strategist and project manager with a twenty-five year record of successfully managing large-scale architecture and construction projects. After working in the field of architecture for several years, and especially while project managing with ZGF Architects for the Lurie Children's Hospital, she often observed significant inefficiencies in how entitlement processes for permitting, code review, and licensing were managed. Changes in the design often have to occur after the fact within this process, exacerbating inefficiencies. Heather found a hole in the market, which quickly became a passion for helping all sides of a development team streamline the compliance process. Heather started MAP Strategies (MAPS) to bring accountability to her clients, and the discipline to be informed, organized, and prepared for the governmental regulatory process. Similar to the law, building codes exist to systematize how architects design buildings for the safety of the public. As a compliance partner, Heather and her team focus on editing architectural designs during pre-construction and strategically plan the path for permitting and licensing, creating better design outcomes while saving time, money, and resources. Heather’s then-startup began in 2014 in the West Loop with the dream of turning compliance on its head. Fortunately, notable developers gave her a chance early on to prove MAPS’s value–and she and her team delivered. These early successes and a reputation for high-level service paved the way for consistent growth in the years to follow. Notable developments overseen by Heather and her team include: 400 North Lakeshore Drive, Lincoln Yards, 727 West Madison, the Tribune Tower renovation, and 900 West Randolph, the tallest building in Chicago’s West Loop. Beyond Heather’s professional achievements, she is passionate about her civic engagement and contributions. After a long battle with cancer, her father Michael Morrison, a prominent real estate attorney in Chicago, passed away in 2010. To honor his legacy and commitment to giving back and lifting up underserved populations in Chicago, Heather gathered together a fundraising committee which eventually raised over 100 thousand dollars to endow a scholarship in Michael’s name at the Chicago Jesuit Academy, a full-scholarship college preparatory middle school located on Chicago’s west side. Distinguished by small classes, an extended academic day, and a longer school year, CJA makes it possible for young men from modest economic backgrounds to find their way to outstanding high schools and colleges which they would otherwise not be able to attend. January 11, 2023 Heather and her team regularly volunteer as pro-bono consultants, performing zoning assessments, code consulting, permit management and other entitlement services for affordable housing developments.

Jason Wilen has practiced forensic architecture since 1993 and has been a licensed architect for 20 years. Currently he is a Senior Associate II with Klein and Hoffman where his responsibilities include project management; design and analysis for exterior building modifications; and rehabilitation for existing structures. Jason provides leadership for the firm’s roof system and waterproofing rehabilitation efforts. He conducts field investigations; prepares reports and estimates of repair costs; provides design development; prepares contract drawings and specifications; as well as construction administration services throughout projects. Jason participates in the firm’s expert witness and building envelope commissioning efforts based on his career experience with roof system design, investigation of roof system failures and committee work related to building codes and standards, energy conservation; and material standards. He has also authored numerous articles for local and national trade magazines.