Dirk Denison Architects

The Chicago Corporate Offices occupy the 47th and 48th floors of a purpose-built high-rise in the Chicago Loop. Initial planning for the space designated the 47th floor only as the executive floor, but Dirk Denison Architects recommended adding a 48th floor mezzanine to create a distinct area for the new executive dining room and to increase the verticality of the dramatic entry lobby. The focal point of this area is a finely-detailed staircase of hickory, stainless steel, and glass. “Screens” of horizontal custom profiles of hickory wood define a common “language” for the finished millwork, and are a leitmotif recurring at varied intervals throughout the 33,000sf offices.  

The offices are an amalgamation of executive suites from the diverse businesses run by the family members. As such, careful planning was required to create a design which established distinct zones of colleagues yet allowed for collective use of boardrooms, conference rooms, and which maximized the amount of light and views afforded by the building’s location for the full depth of the floor. Perimeter executive offices are designed as modules with clerestory windows to allow light to penetrate the interior, a move that also establishes a spatial hierarchy of solids and voids. The design includes prominent circulation corridors that provide generous sight lines and uninterrupted surfaces for the display of the family members’ and businesses’ collections of contemporary and antique art.