“ALA wanted their new office to leave a lasting impression on their members and visitors. Guests arrive on the 13th floor and are greeted by a bold graphic that reads: “To Promote Library Service and Librarianship.” This signage helps convey the ethos of the organization and gently reminds visitors of the work the ALA does. Adjacent to the elevator lobby is a glass wall that provides a glimpse into the reception area. Inside, a large graphic is stretched out and lined throughout the wall and into the main work area, where it creates a backdrop for some of the organization’s previous magazine covers and vintage celebrity READ posters. In addition, a digital monitor has been incorporated in the lobby to celebrate recent events and achievements in the communities the ALA serves.

Strategically placed right off the reception area is a long corridor that displays award-winning books, more digital monitors with graphics that celebrate ALA, a custom reading nook, and a rotating display of the organization’s own artwork. This corridor leads to the heart of the office: the main library. This is where the kaleidoscope inspiration shines brightest—a plethora of colors including orange, red, and teal merging to showcase the diversity in the community. The design team strategically placed the library in between the reception and workplace area to ensure staff would need to make their way through it on a daily basis to access the mailroom, print room, café, and conference rooms. The café is adjacent to the library with a large open communal area, access to natural sunlight, and sweeping views of Chicago’s Millennium Park.

Past the library is an open-floor workplace, which was intentionally left neutral so that the focal point rests on the thousands of books housed both in the library and throughout the open office area in bookcases lining walls and workstations. At the beginning of the design process, the change from private offices in the old headquarters to open workspaces was an area of concern. To help ease the transition, NELSON held visioning, imagery, and design meetings with the ALA team, as well as partnered with BOS Holdings to create multiple mock-ups of workstation layouts. This allowed employees to test out their new desks and give feedback via surveys. The NELSON team was therefore able to make last minute adjustments to aspects of the design prior to the official opening. The firm also created a welcome packet for the ALA staff to help them better understand their new space, how to use it effectively, and introduce them to the new amenities.

Located alongside the perimeters of the space, natural daylighting boosts productivity as well as makes the space brighter and more welcoming for staff working in the open workstations. The technology in the workplace also received an upgrade. Webinar rooms were added for the staff to better record and give live CEU’s, podcasts, and webinars from their office space. A variety of moveable furniture also accommodates more agile work throughout. Ultimately, the new plan made it possible for staff to work in a more open environment through grouped workstations that encourage interaction and collaboration. Those who do have private offices are also made to feel a part of the larger office ecosystem through smaller footprints and glass walls that allow visual connections,” says NELSON Worlwide

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Date completed: 2021
• Design: NELSON Worldwide
• Photos: AJ Brown

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“Created by NELSON Worldwide, the lab pushes boundaries in technology, innovation, and design while setting a new standard for the way products and services are displayed to potential customers. This state-of-the-art facility is fully equipped with more technology and tools than a team could dream of using during a single project, including more than 13 different technology platforms that Oracle applied while building the Innovation Lab.

Oracle’s approach combines the pragmatic with the aspirational. Instead of looking ahead over the next five or 10 years, they believe the future is now. Their space provides immersive experiences to demonstrate that, when working in partnership, Oracle and their collaborators can create much more than the sum of their technological parts. What has emerged is a playground for the construction industry that is helping to build and enhance relationships. At the same time, it is continually expanding the construction industry while testing new ideas and bringing them to market. Designed to work off the grid, the space incorporates photovoltaic panels with a SolarEdge inverter system and Tesla Powerwall for battery backup. Within the contemporary and stunning structure, the work that takes place is expected to advance how they build well into the future. Construction of the facility was carried out by Pepper Construction and lighting was made possible by Brinjac Lighting Studio,” says Nelson Worldwide.

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Date completed: 2020
• Design: Nelson Worldwide
• Photos: AJ Brown

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“Spread across 17 floors, totaling just under a half a million square feet, the company decided to first build out a prototype of the new design ideas within the space to test them in action. HED’s research-driven process began with an assessment of workplace strategy and current portfolio usage, intensive weekly pre- and post-occupancy surveys, walkthroughs, open houses, verbal feedback and huddle sessions. This feedback rich prototype testing process ultimately allowed the project team to demonstrate available solutions to compare cost, look and feel, functionality, and to work out constructability kinks.

The new office space supports major culture shifts within the company through a reallocation of square footage toward more common and shared spaces, along with high tech spaces to accommodate the infusion of significant technology systems in operations. The office features “touchdown” and community areas, social hubs and lounge spaces, teaming spaces for longer work sessions, and paired programming. Movable desks, walls and power sources all add to increased flexibility and agility, and screens are height-adjustable to accommodate both privacy and transparency goals established by the company.

In addition, the entire space follows a “free address” work model, allowing collaborators to cluster at various points in time, for various projects, and within various working styles. All these decisions underpin the importance of the ‘human element’ in defining the experience of the space, driving the work and social culture to support the desired organizational culture shift,” says HED.

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Date completed: 2020
• Size: 490,234 square feet
• Design: HED

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“ActiveCampaign has grown exponentially over the last few years, opening offices on three other continents, and reaching their maximum capacity in the Loop. An open floor below their headquarters, which we completed in 2017, gave us the opportunity to expand their original space without displacing their roots.

In the first design phase, the full-floor suite in 1 North Dearborn emphasized ActiveCampaign’s employee-centric culture, with numerous gathering areas, impactful branding, and memorable spaces. Leadership guided the open plan to be free from hierarchy, so much so that even the CEO sits among staff. Lounges and quiet areas are free to be used as workspace, giving everyone a choice of how and where to work. Small huddle rooms, named after fictional locations by the staff, celebrate a collective love of science fiction and fantasy pop culture. Hidden in the game room behind a revolving bookcase, a secret meeting area also communicates the playful tone carried over into the expansion.

The second phase of the project was focused on creating a grand stair as the heart of the office. It forms a dynamic gathering space, expanding the existing communal area, and connecting the two floors. Moss and geometric millwork recall ActiveCampaign’s directional logo, and reflect the bold branding elements at the entrance.

Lit by a customizable marquee sign, a training and screening room was a needed addition for more formal presentations and after hour movie gatherings. A full-service coffee shop now fuels Activecampaign’s busy days, and a library/action figure display room doubles as a theater-inspired happy hour lounge,” says Eastlake Studio.

• Location: Loop – Chicago, Illinois
• Date completed: 2020
• Size: 100,000 square feet
• Design: Eastlake Studio

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“Elkus Manfredi Architects’ transformative workplace redesign of CRA’s Chicago sf office at One South Wacker Drive unifies the company’s existing two-floor office and replaces the previously dim, dark, crowded environment with a daylight-filled, expansive workplace within the original two-floor footprint.

Elkus Manfredi’s Vice President and Workplace Strategist, Linda MacLeod Fannon, summarizes the approach of the Elkus Manfredi designers and the Chicago CRA team: “Just because there is a trend, it doesn’t mean you have to follow trend. CRA’s Chicago team truly investigated what was right for them versus what everyone else is doing.”

Elkus Manfredi led a paradigm-setting consulting process that established company-wide workplace space metrics centered on activities, tasks, and interaction points in the space. These metrics provide the functional foundation for the design solutions.
As with the previous CRA offices the firm has designed, Elkus Manfredi created a balance of private spaces for the quiet, focused, head-down work that CRA consultants are largely engaged in, with inviting and inspiring gathering areas for the relaxation, refreshment, and spontaneous exchange that is equally crucial to peak staff performance.

MacLeod Fannon continues: “Interestingly, natural light was our most important material in our charge to transform the full two floors. The South Wacker building was a challenge in and of itself because it has a layer of dark film on its windows for sun protection, and the windows were all half-height, one-story windows. Figuring out how to bring in the natural light was as much a part of our design directive as how to change their work experience and how to incorporate the Chicago team’s culture. For this CRA team, it was important that they felt at home at work.”

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Date completed: 2018
• Size: 35,620 square feet
• Design: Elkus Manfredi Architects
• Photos: Andrew Bordwin

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“NELSON Worldwide was tasked with infusing five-star hospitality elements throughout the Class A tower’s amenity spaces, which feature a conference center for tenant use; a two-story, state-of-the art fitness center; a tenant lounge; and multi-tenant floor elevator lobbies and circulation corridors. The NELSON team drew inspiration from the exterior architectural elements designed by the world-renowned architecture firm, Goettsch Partners, and re-interpreted them within the planes of the luxurious interior materials, paying homage to Chicago’s unique urban scene. Much like everyone who walks into the towering lobby, 110 North Wacker is a distinguished character in the Chicago story.

NELSON Worldwide has designed spaces that reinforce an immediate connection to one of the city’s greatest attractions—the Chicago River, which plays an integral role throughout all aspects of the building and has contributed to its leasing momentum. The NELSON team is also designing several offices throughout, as well as developing initial planning studies for the legal tenants considering occupancy. These planning studies demonstrate the great efficiencies that the design of the building floor plate can offer to the legal industry at 110 North Wacker Drive. To celebrate the building’s structure and its surroundings, the amenity spaces flow alongside the river, using pattern, texture, shape, and light influenced by Goettsch’s design. Creating positive and negative space, strong contrasts and movement were also influenced by music, with tight textures representing the high notes and broad scale representing the deep notes.

A few levels above on levels 23 and 24, the team designed all environmental graphic pieces within the fitness center. The center itself has a different feel, inspired by energy and movement, with bold graphics and colors. The third level gives of a more sophisticated and elegant aesthetic, made up of natural materials such as wood and stone. Because level three was also designed to function as an event space, there is a greater connection between the floor and ceiling elements and the exterior of the building to draw your eyes outside to the views of downtown Chicago, making for an unforgettable experience.”

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Date completed: 2020
• Size: 50,000 square feet
• Design: NELSON Worldwide

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“The redesign goals included activating the space into one that would energize creativity and attract top talent, create a space that is vibrant, connected, and inspires a greater sense of collaboration, as well as exposing the creative process to those moving through the space.

Just as the alleys throughout Chicago serve as a network to support and link the city, HED designed Collaboration Alley to serve as a connection between the split levels of the 85,000 sf office space. The flexible space supports the agency’s creative process and fosters a behind-the-scenes view into the agency’s concept evolution, idea exploration and development.

The concept was pushed even further by adding team rooms that perpendicularly join up with the alley like ribs coming off a spine, with plenty of different height surfaces, seating, and a system of lightweight tackable surfaces that display work in stands throughout the alley or on tracks in the team rooms. This keeps the work constantly on exhibit for anyone to see and contribute to,” says HED.

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Date completed: 2020
• Size: 85,000 square feet
• Design: HED

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“To support Ferrara’s transition from a traditional office into an innovative and collaborative space, NELSON Worldwide scattered workstations throughout the exterior footprint of the office, allowing employees better access to both each other and to natural light. These exposed sightlines encourage a more open and transparent culture along with creativity, while huddle rooms and private offices still give plenty of options for privacy and concentration. The space was also divided into “neighborhoods”—each equipped with conference rooms, huddle rooms and open collaboration spaces aimed at simultaneously fostering an open culture, as well as offering moments of respite.

In commemorating the long vacant Old Chicago Main Post Office, the design elevates the industrial nature of the building, accentuating the 18-foot-tall ceilings, two vintage mail chutes and two package scales. The clean, industrial, and neutral background throughout the space allows each of their 35 beloved brands to layer on their own unique style and personality,” says NELSON Worldwide.

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Date completed: 2020
• Size: 22,290 square feet
• Design: NELSON Worldwide
• Environmental branding: Spark

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“The team had quickly outgrown their previous office space and were in need of a new workplace that would support their/its evolving culture while easily accommodating changes in organizational size. G2 called upon Ted Moudis Associates to develop a scheme for the new office that did just that.

Abandoning all private offices, G2 tasked Ted Moudis Associates’ design team with establishing an appropriate ratio of private rooms –– including conferencing space, phone booths and break-away zones –– to balance the abundance of open workstations. Each of the private, heads-down areas were expertly outfitted to accommodate confidentiality concerns without sacrificing sightlines or brightness within the space. To underscore that sense of brightness, while keeping pace with G2’s quick-moving culture, Ted Moudis Associates created an energetic design scheme through the incorporation of bold branding and colorful graphics that mirror the company’s synergistic undercurrent. Utilizing a sleek black and white base, the team layered in daring hues through neon signs, geometric accent walls, vivid textiles, and vibrant furnishings.

The anchor of the two-story workspace is a grand central staircase, strategically introduced in the post-tension building. From the reception area, the stair sweeps both guests and staff alike down to the lower level where they will discover a main gathering café. Positioned at the side landing of the stairs is a larger than life video wall. The stairs serve as the heart of the office space and are visible from both elevator lobbies –– resulting in a bold, memorable feature begging visitors to come in, climb, sit, study, and commune,” says Lukstudio.

• Location: Loop – Chicago, Illinois
• Date completed: June 2019
• Size: 64,577 square feet
• Design: Ted Moudis Associates
• Photos: Eitan Gamlieli

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“Garrett sought a flexible, interactive workspace that would encourage collaboration among its growing staff. In expanding and re-imagining its corporate headquarters, Harley Ellis Devereaux worked closely with Garrett’s internal design team throughout the planning and design process to ensure that all corporate and branding needs were met. The new headquarters, located in the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, features perimeter views of Chicago’s skyline, private spaces for executives and open office benching for staff.

A key component of the new headquarters is its strong visual identity. Throughout the space, the brand’s palette is interwoven into each element of the design — from the navy blue-striped carpet, an homage to the brand’s iconic blue-striped tins, to the copper coloring, symbolizing the old-fashioned copper kettles used to pop the popcorn. Custom reclaimed wood in the reception and cafe areas represents the wooden spoons used to churn the popcorn.

To attract and retain new talent, Garrett sought an office that reflected its traditional features in a contemporary environment. In this vein, a ping pong table and splatter wall area were added to encourage camaraderie amongst colleagues,” says HED.

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Size: 22,000 square feet
• Design: HED
• Photos: Dave Burk

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“The social paradigm that makes this game so fun to play is also what drives the games’ eight founders in their professional endeavors. The group sees social connections and the cross-pollination of ideas as a crucial aspect of a creative culture.

They envision the work-share office typology as an opportunity to bring together graphic designers, artists, photographers and writers into a creative co-working space that encourages collaboration. After years in a cramped storefront office, Cards Against Humanity renovated and moved to a 12,000 square foot warehouse along a busy industrial corridor in Chicago. A new space provided an opportunity to expand their involvement in the local design community and beyond,“ said von Weise Associates.

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Size: 12,000 square feet
• Design: von Weise Associates
• Photos: Nicholas Fochtman

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