Adaptive Reuse at U-Haul Storage of OHare

Samuel Ramsden, was an experienced stone mason, who traveled with his wife from Yorkshire to Victoria, Australia where he established the very first paper mill in the region. The mill was first named the Australian Paper Manufacturers and was known to many Australian's at the time. The company would soon grow to include many different types of paper and product manufacturing. Acquisitions of various companies further diversified the production portfolio with a strategic array of products. APM would eventually change monikers to Amcor Limited, to better represent the scope of the diversified products. The letter "O" in Amcor's early logo was purposefully symbolic, representing the end of a roll of paper. In the 2000s, the company separated the paper and pulp manufacturing from the product packaging arm while continuing to acquire other companies such as the Alcon company from Rio Tinto in 2010. The "O" logo theme evolved into an "O" shape, consisting of five overlapping rings, representing the important pillars of the company. Amcor maintains their commitment to providing innovative packing products still to this day.

The Amcor building in Des Plaines was built in 1965 and U-Haul acquired the property in 2016. Adaptive reuse building conversions allow U-Haul to promote infill development to meet citizens’ needs while preserving the natural resources and land normally required for new construction. Adaptive reuse also allows resources to be focused on integrating environmentally thoughtful features into the existing building rather than creating waste in the form of demolition and using valuable resources for new construction.

Serving U-Haul customers since 2016, this facility was built through adaptive reuse of an abandoned building. Adaptive Reuse promotes infill development in an effort to strengthen communities, with the following benefits achieved at this site: 

• 99 tons of metal manufacturing & transportation prevented 
• 4,550 tons of new concrete pours avoided 
• 4,739 tons of construction and demolition debris prevented 

Energy-efficiency and waste-reduction programs at this facility provide the following estimated benefits each year for the Des Plaines community:  

• 2,236,852 lbs greenhouse gas emissions prevented 

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  Steel Production 99 tons (90 tonnes) of steel manufacturing and delivery saved to date

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  Energy 0 kWh annual energy savings

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  Concrete 4,550 tons (4,129 tonnes) of new concrete pours avoided to date

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  Emissions 2,236,852 lbs (1,014,629 kgs) of greenhouse gas emissions prevented

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  Landfill Debris 4,739 lbs (4,300 kgs) of construction debris prevented

• U-Haul Storage of OHare
• See a timeline of events in Amcor's history