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
Mass Timber | May 3, 2023
Gensler-designed mid-rise will be Houston’s first mass timber commercial office building
A Houston project plans to achieve two firsts: the city’s first mass timber commercial office project, and the state of Texas’s first commercial office building targeting net zero energy operational carbon upon completion next year. Framework @ Block 10 is owned and managed by Hicks Ventures, a Houston-based development company.
Office Buildings | May 1, 2023
Office building owners face potential legal liabilities when adding new workplace amenities
Many landlords in the war for tenants have turned to offering new amenities such as conference room services, fitness centers with nutritionists, and high-end food and beverage offerings. To provide new services, landlords often engage with third-party vendors, which can present thorny legal liability.
Design Innovation Report | Apr 27, 2023
BD+C's 2023 Design Innovation Report
Building Design+Construction’s Design Innovation Report presents projects, spaces, and initiatives—and the AEC professionals behind them—that push the boundaries of building design. This year, we feature four novel projects and one building science innovation.
Office Buildings | Apr 24, 2023
Smart savings: Commissioning for the hybrid workplace
Joe Crowe, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Gresham Smith, shares smart savings tips for facility managers and building owners of hybrid workplaces.
Green | Apr 21, 2023
Top 10 green building projects for 2023
The Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex in Boston and the Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis are among the AIA COTE Top Ten Awards honorees for 2023.
Design Innovation Report | Apr 19, 2023
Reinforced concrete walls and fins stiffen and shade the National Bank of Kuwait skyscraper
When the National Bank of Kuwait first conceived its new headquarters more than a decade ago, it wanted to make a statement about passive design with a soaring tower that could withstand the extreme heat of Kuwait City, the country’s desert capital.
Design Innovation Report | Apr 19, 2023
Meet The Hithe: A demountable building for transient startups
The Hithe, near London, is designed to be demountable and reusable. The 2,153-sf building provides 12 units of business incubator workspace for startups.
Green | Apr 18, 2023
USGBC and IWBI unveil streamlined certification pathway for LEED and WELL green building programs
The U.S. Green Building Council, Green Business Certification Inc., and the International WELL Building Institute released a streamlined process for projects pursuing certifications for the LEED green building rating system and the WELL Building Standard. The new protocol simplifies documentation for projects that are pursuing both certifications at the same time or that have already earned one certification and are looking to add the other.
Office Buildings | Apr 13, 2023
L.A. headquarters for startup Califia Farms incorporates post-pandemic hybrid workplace design concepts
The new Los Angeles headquarters for fast-growing Califia Farms, a brand of dairy alternative products, was designed by SLAM with the post-Covid hybrid work environment in mind. Located in Maxwell Coffee House, a historic production facility built in 1924 that has become a vibrant mixed-use complex, the office features a café bordered by generous meeting rooms.
Market Data | Apr 11, 2023
Construction crane count reaches all-time high in Q1 2023
Toronto, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Denver top the list of U.S/Canadian cities with the greatest number of fixed cranes on construction sites, according to Rider Levett Bucknall's RLB Crane Index for North America for Q1 2023.
