Ferrara Candy Company’s new headquarters space in Chicago’s Old Post Office building was designed to accommodate the company’s growth and flexibility and provide more meeting and conference spaces to encourage collaboration and information sharing.
The office’s floor plan is laid out with a singular path to create a feeling of connectedness between the divided “neighborhoods.” Each neighborhood is equipped with small- and large-scale conference rooms, huddle rooms, and open collaboration spaces. Workstations are scattered throughout to provide employees better access to each other and to natural light.
Industrial metal frames are used as space dividers and are infilled with whiteboards and felt panels that serve as tools to encourage brainstorming and innovation. Exposed sightlines encourage a more open and transparent culture, while huddle rooms and private offices give options for privacy and concentration. A cafe space can be transformed throughout the day from a coffee bar and informal meeting area to a happy hour or event venue after hours.
See Also: IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union headquarters completes construction
The design takes care to maintain the historic Old Post Office building’s industrial nature by accentuating the 18-foot-tall ceilings, two vintage mail chutes, and two package scales.
Related Stories
| Jul 22, 2011
The Right Platform for IPD
Workstations for successful integrated project delivery, a white paper by Dell and BD+C.
| Jul 21, 2011
Bringing BIM to the field
A new tablet device for construction professionals puts 3D data at the fingertips of project managers and construction supervisors.
| May 25, 2011
Developers push Manhattan office construction
Manhattan developers are planning the city's biggest decade of office construction since the 1980s, betting on rising demand for modern space even with tenants unsigned and the availability of financing more limited. More than 25 million sf of projects are under construction or may be built in the next nine years.
| May 18, 2011
Lab personnel find comfort in former Winchester gun factory
The former Winchester Repeating Arms Factory in New Haven, Conn., is the new home of PepsiCo’s Biology Innovation Research Laboratory.
| May 16, 2011
Virtual tour: See U.S. Green Building Council’s new LEED Platinum HQ—and earn CE credits
A virtual tour of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Platinum HQ is available. The tour features embedded videos, audio podcasts, and information on building materials and products used throughout the space. By taking the virtual tour, professionals can earn GBCI Continuing Education hours for the LEED AP with specialty and LEED Green Associate credentials.
| May 11, 2011
DOE releases guide for 50% more energy-efficient office buildings
The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the release of the first in a new series of Advanced Energy Design Guides to aid in the design of highly energy efficient office buildings. The 50% AEDG series will provide a practical approach to commercial buildings designed to achieve 50% energy savings compared to the commercial building energy code used in many areas of the country.
| May 10, 2011
Google hires Ingenhoven Architects to design new Mountain View office
The current Googleplex is straining at the seams and yet the company is preparing its biggest hiring surge ever, so Google decided now’s the time to build its own office space—a first for the Internet giant. The company hired Ingenhoven Architects, a German firm that specializes in sustainable architecture, to create plans for what could be a 600,000-sf office.
