Designing Our Chicago Studio

Chicago, Illinois
Good Design is Good Business

Challenged by firm leadership to be bold, brave and brilliant, we guided the vision for the design of our founding studio to follow this ethos. The goal was to create a responsive studio that adapts to users’ needs while addressing business goals.

The resulting design provides a mix of active, quiet, social, private, collaborative and restorative spaces to accommodate diverse workstyles, personalities and respective projects and tasks. Along with the availability of different spaces comes the permission to work in a more mobile, less static, fashion.

Our home in the north tower of Chicago’s iconic Wrigley Building reflects our culture, showcasing our myriad accomplishments while allowing the design process to shine.

Brand/Reception Wall

This abstract installation showcasing the Chicago studio’s awards over the past five years was created from an algorithm and made of Lumicor acrylic.

Dark blue denotes AIA awards, light blue signifies IIDA and ASID awards, all other awards are green. Blocks can be moved around, so the exhibit can change.
More Choice of Where to Work

Paired with a multi-floor design (anchored by a grand central staircase), movement is enabled around the studio, and sit-stand desks support changing postures.

The studio shifts the balance of space from private offices to both open and closed collaboration spaces, with a 33% increase in total collaboration seats from the previous studio.
The founding studio embraces its role as guardians and champions of the firm’s 80-year legacy.
What Makes it Cool
The Cloud is a light-filled open café environment for work and social collaboration.

Project Team

Bill Berger
People
Bill Berger
Gina Berndt
People
Gina Berndt
Tim Wolfe
People
Tim Wolfe
Amina Helstern
People
Amina Helstern