Chicago’s Newest O’Hare Offering and Its Art & Design

June 10, 2009

Chicago’s Intercontinental O’Hare Doubles Meeting Space with a new wing, two ballrooms, and Green Features such as the Green Roof

What’s the big deal about a green roof? It’s absolutely cool in the summer, and warm in the winter, helping save money, helping save the environment, and working to make the world better, according to the design firm that created this cutting edge treatment to the InterContinental hotel at O’Hare Airport.

Chicago O’Hare Hotel’s  newly constructed Artists Wing features a whopping 53,000 square feet of meeting space! The cutting-edge development features the region’s only fully functional green roof, which reduces heating and cooling costs while exemplifying the InterContinental’s environmental stewardship.

The new wing has been christened the “Artists Wing” to complement the InterContinental O’Hare’s existing Museum Wing. Hanging sculptures act as lighting fixtures in the artistically decorated space, which was designed in harmony with the artwork displayed throughout the existing hotel space. The additional space offers new work by artists such as Lois Main Templeton, Tom Casalini and Martina Nehrling. The InterContinental O’Hare houses a working art gallery cared for by two professional curators. Over 1,600 pieces of artwork - most of which are available for purchase – are displayed throughout the hotel.

Two of the greatest achievements in the construction of the Artists Wing are its fully functional “green” roof and wind-powered electricity. The environmentally friendly roof structure is composed of interlocked trays of three-inch soil, wheat grass and sedum. It requires no maintenance, drastically reduces energy costs and will increase the life span of the roof to two to three times that of a typical industrial roof. These efforts are among many intentional steps taken by the InterContinental Chicago O’Hare management team to reduce the carbon footprint of the hotel.

The completion of the Artists Wing is the latest in a series of exciting unveilings at the InterContinental Chicago O’Hare. The new hotel boasts an impressive art gallery, a variety of entertainment venues and multi-functional spaces, three popular restaurants, a chic club lounge, 556 guest rooms, including 70 suites and two luxurious presidential suites. icohare.com.

For things to do and even booking your shuttle, be sure to check out some of the online packages and products offered to make your vacation fun, such as the Adler Aquarium, and more. Chicago offers over 100 holiday options for your vacation.