For over 20 years, a United Airlines’ 727 aircraft served as the centerpiece of the Take Flight exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Over time, however, the pace of change in exhibit and aviation technology made the aviation marvel ripe for reimagining. As with any project, sustainability practices were a key consideration. Today, we’re spotlighting the ways that adaptive reuse and other sustainable practices came into play at Take Flight – adding huge benefits in both the short-term and long-term.

Putting the Practice in Action at Take Flight 

Spoiler alert: we didn’t approach Take Flight with adaptive reuse – the process of adapting buildings for new uses while retaining their historic features – in mind. There was no question that the plane itself was going to be reused; the presence and size of the airplane, which is mounted mid-air alongside a balcony, is the entire essence of the exhibit. But with the goal to pilot the 727 into the current world of aviation, we had to align with the museum’s high standards for imaginative technology, and fit our work within a very tight budget.

Ninety percent of the project budget needed to go to illuminating the interior of the plane, leaving just 10% for the exterior. Creativity was required — so we dove into the museum’s long-term storage, where we found old, unused track heads which we were able to retrofit to illuminate the exterior of the plane. The choice ultimately stemmed from the budget, but it definitely boosted sustainability.

Let’s rewind here — what is the purpose of a track and track head? At Take Flight they were used to illuminate the new graphics displayed throughout the exhibit. So while investing in a brand new track head could have theoretically illuminated the entire surface area near-perfectly, the re-use solution worked perfectly well and aligned with the project budget.

Spotlighting Sustainable Lighting

Across all industries, when sustainable design is mentioned, the first things we think about are the fenestration and HVAC systems. But the reality is that we need electric light to see inside our buildings, which automatically makes lighting a key part of any sustainability mission. 

Light applies to sustainability in two key ways: energy and materials use. Light inherently uses energy, and that consumption needs to be reduced as much as possible. It also uses LED chips, metal, wire, and other materials which when used improperly can be excessive and wasteful. To ensure Take Flight’s energy and materials efficiency, we used only a precisely calibrated amount of LED lighting across the entire exhibit, which is the most energy-efficient option for spaces like these. 

Through adaptive reuse practices and our understanding of the ever-changing technology in our industry, we were able to put sustainable design practices into place so that Take Flight could successfully land in 2021 as a more sustainable project.