Futuristic hallway with blue neon lights and blurred figure walking toward abstract door.
Futuristic blue hallway with illuminated lines and a person walking towards modern art.

IMC Trading

Chicago, Illinois
Built for the rhythm of the market

In trading, milliseconds matter. Decisions are fast, stakes are high, and focus is essential. IMC Trading’s workplace is designed to support that intensity through disciplined planning and precise interior organization. Trading neighborhoods are arranged to optimize sightlines, proximity, and acoustic performance, allowing teams to maintain constant visual connection while protecting deep concentration. Circulation paths and adjacent collaboration spaces are positioned to enable quick exchange without disrupting active work.

The result is an environment that operates less like a conventional office and more like a coordinated system, efficient, responsive, and calibrated for sustained performance.

IMC's brand is deeply integrated throughout the space, creating a strong sense of pride and identity within the workplace.
Brand Expressed Through Experience

Rather than applying branding as surface graphics alone, the design translates IMC Trading’s identity into the spatial language of the interior. Transparency, alignment, and precision guide the architectural approach, from the disciplined material palette to the clarity of glazing systems and millwork detailing.

Color is used selectively to reinforce orientation and team identity, while environmental graphics and digital displays integrate naturally into the architecture rather than sitting on top of it. Moments of visual emphasis are balanced by restrained, high-performance finishes that communicate confidence and technical rigor.

The result is an environment where brand is experienced through spatial order, craft, and performance, not simply seen on the walls.

Modern office cafeteria with open seating and people dining.
A full-service café is thoughtfully designed to accommodate meals and snacks throughout the day, supporting informal interactions and workplace vitality.
Modern open-plan office space with blue chairs and people at a counter labeled The Pit.
A cut opening creates a double-height space centered around the café grab and go—a vibrant hub designed to see and be seen.
Social Core, Reimagined

Recognizing that high-performance work depends on moments of reset and connection, the interior positions social spaces as a central organizing feature rather than a peripheral amenity. A café and gathering hub anchor the workplace, designed with warmer materials, softer lighting, and more residential-scaled furnishings to create a distinct shift in atmosphere from the trading floor.

Open lounge areas, informal meeting points, and flexible event zones encourage spontaneous interaction and reinforce company culture across teams. By embedding these spaces within the daily circulation of the office, the design supports both community and long-term cognitive endurance—ensuring the workplace functions not only as a trading environment, but as a shared social ecosystem.

Diverse seating options provide flexible ways to experience the café hub—whether for focused work, casual chats, or group gatherings.
Immersed in brand language, the game room offers a lively space to connect with colleagues and unwind through play.

Project Team

Mike Reinhart
People
Mike Reinhart
Tim Wolfe
People
Tim Wolfe