The CareerBuilder HQ in Chicago occupies 75,000-sf across three and a half floors at 200 N LaSalle Drive. The renovation project turned the workspace into an open-plan concept that houses executive staff, administrative staff, and sales in an inclusive and non-hierarchical workplace.
Visitors and employees are welcomed into the space via a multi-use lounge and pantry space and a wide reception area that serves as a large hub. Deeper into the space, a centrally-located feature stairway functions as a main artery to connect all of the levels. The stairs are framed by two exposed columns, encased and illuminated within corrugated polycarbonate sheets that display the building’s industrial interior. A training center is separated from other areas with a garage door to allow the center to be acoustically isolated when needed and open when not in use.
Tall partition workstations and private offices were eliminated to strip the space of hierarchical design elements and were replaced with low partitions and benching-style workstations for a more horizontal organizational structure. The workspace is split into neighborhoods to promote movement and employee connections through spatial planning and vertical connections. Conference rooms, which were wrapped around the core to allow natural light to permeate the office throughout, and phone rooms were integrated into the floor plan to provide employees with breakout spaces for meetings and quiet focus.
See Also: 1010 On-The-Rhine creates a walkable destination in an underutilized part of Cincinnati
In order to help with employee health and wellbeing, uplighting was installed to help reduce glare and eye strain, workstations were outfitted with height-adjustable desks, and the dispersion of smaller breakout spaces encourages employees to move around the office throughout the day.
Related Stories
| Sep 13, 2010
Triple-LEED for Engineering Firm's HQ
With more than 250 LEED projects in the works, Enermodal Engineering is Canada's most prolific green building consulting firm. In 2007, with the firm outgrowing its home office in Kitchener, Ont., the decision was made go all out with a new green building. The goal: triple Platinum for New Construction, Commercial Interiors, and Existing Buildings: O&M.
| Aug 11, 2010
CTBUH changes height criteria; Burj Dubai height increases, others decrease
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)—the international body that arbitrates on tall building height and determines the title of “The World’s Tallest Building”—has announced a change to its height criteria, as a reflection of recent developments with several super-tall buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
BIG's 'folded façade' design takes first-prize in competition for China energy company headquarters
Copenhagen-based architect BIG, in collaboration with ARUP and Transsolar, was awarded first-prize in an international competition to design Shenzhen International Energy Mansion, the regional headquarters for the Shenzhen Energy Company.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Arup, AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 75 largest international design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 International Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
New air-conditioning design standard allows for increased air speed to cool building interiors
Building occupants, who may soon feel cooler from increased air movement, can thank a committee of building science specialists. The committee in charge of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55 - Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy—after months of study and discussion--has voted recently to allow increased air speed as an option for cooling building interiors. In lay terms, increased air speed is the equivalent of turning up the fan.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index flat in May, according to AIA
After a slight decline in April, the Architecture Billings Index was up a tenth of a point to 42.9 in May. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Free-span solar energy system installed at REM Eyewear headquarters
The first cable-suspended free-span solar energy system was completed today over the REM Eyewear headquarters parking lot in Sun Valley, Calif. The patented, cable-supported photovoltaic system created by P4P Energy is expected to generate 40,877 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, enough to power five to six single family homes and to prevent 1.5 million pounds of carbon from being released into the atmosphere.
