— Repositioning
BuenzCordwellSolomon
Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) is an architecture, interior design, and planning firm with a thoughtful design vision and a dynamic national imprint. Since 1931, SCB has made a lasting visual impact on skylines, campuses, and neighborhoods nationwide. From offices in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle we offer our expertise to clients across the country, helping them achieve their goals, serve their constituents, and create unique built environments. Our approach is to ask questions, listen, and develop the best design solution for each individual project. We are future-oriented, continually challenging ourselves to design to a higher standard, innovate at every level, and give our clients more as we achieve design excellence.
Design for a world.changing
Repositioning
As workforce demographics shift and the ways in which we work continue to evolve, new office buildings are being designed to reflect new work styles, and lifestyles. Modern office amenity programs are blurring the line between work and play, with spaces for group collaboration, individual focused work, and conferences extending the workplace;, and social lounges, outdoor spaces, and fitness facilities offering places to unwind and reset. As a result, older office buildings are reexamining their offerings in an effort to attract and retain tenants. Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) has helped numerous building owners realize the potential in their existing assets by developing and designing unique public spaces and amenity programs to “reposition” these buildings in the market, bringing them to a level more competitive with new builds. For more information on SCB’s approach to repositioning, visit scb.com/repositioning.
The main amenity floor on level 28 is organized around a sculptural, faceted element that guides users through the space and defines various zones of activity. A fitness center and adjoining fitness-on-demand studio are supported by locker rooms awash in natural light. A discreet spa zone offers nap pods and a massage treatment room. In the lounge area, tenants are welcomed by an illuminated coffee and cocktail bar that opens up to a double-height, glass-enclosed lounge with commanding views of the historic Lyric Opera House. A mix of materials, textures, colors, and furniture create an eclectic space that sits beneath a grand, kinetic sculpture that celebrates the space’s volume and natural light. The capstone of the project is a new rooftop terrace with magnificent city views for daytime or evening entertaining.
The design for the lobby is a study in the experience of scale. By removing a portion of an existing catwalk, the lobby is transformed to create a grand sense of arrival. The design embraces the original dark marble walls while introducing modern elements like cold-rolled steel panels and dynamic digital media displays. The darker and more visually impactful elements are balanced with the softness of a golden-hued art installation that meanders across the lobby ceiling. The grandness of the space is brought down to a human scale with the addition of intimate seating areas surrounding custom wood and leather-wrapped portals.
SCB continues its long-standing relationship with 601W Companies and Telos Group with the repositioning of One South Wacker, a Class A+, 1.2 million square-foot office tower. The project scope consists of a bold re-design of the lobby; a new amenity level with a fitness center, bar, and lounge; and the addition of an outdoor terrace.
Building Size 1.2 million SF / 60,000 SF project scope
Location Chicago, IL
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One S Wacker
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for the space was conceived as a modern interpretation of a 1970’s vibe, borrowing cues from the era in which the building was designed and constructed, and merging them with more sophisticated and clean lines. Designed with a distinct hospitality feel, the lounge features a volumetric brass fireplace, mirrored screening elements, mobile-like lighting fixtures, and bright graphic flooring to form spaces that are both vibrant and inviting. A large Patagonia granite bar anchors the space and is surrounded by a variety of lounge seating, making the space perfect as a day-time retreat for tenants or for after-hours social events. A small, cozy alcove with banquet seating provides a more quite space on the floor. A game room offers an interchangeable ping pong and billiards table along with shuffleboard. Seeking to stand out amongst other multi-tenant office building fitness offerings, the design for this new fitness center is centered around a “Ninja Warrior”-inspired training course. A mix of cardio and strength training equipment as well as studio space for spinning or yoga and new locker rooms rounds out the wellness program.
303 E Wacker
Themonths.design
SCB was engaged as the interior designer for the repositioning of 303 East Wacker, an office tower located on the Chicago River. The designers were challenged to transform two mechanical spaces on the 29th and 30th floors into a new tenant floor and amenity lounge. New floor-to-ceiling windows were added to the space, opening it up to the expansive views of the Chicago skyline, River, Navy Pier and Lake Michigan. Along the northeast corner of the floor, the windows become operable, allowing the space to transform into an outdoor terrace in warmer
Location Chicago, IL Building Size 944,000 SF / 11,000 SF project scope
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Location Chicago, IL
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SCB is leading the repositioning of Canal Station, a 6-story, 850,000-square-foot former single tenant office building that stretches almost a full city block in Chicago’s South Loop. The design for the new multi-tenant Canal Station includes significant upgrades to the building façade to allow for more natural light within the building, as well as create a new identity for the building’s main entry.
The second floor hosts a new tenant amenity program designed with a hospitality-focused look and feel. A luxurious and cozy feeling bar and lounge area features a dark-colored terrazzo bar paired with custom rattan seating niches and modern lounge furnishings. A two-sided fireplace defines the lounge from a generous pre-function area and flexible conference center. Also located on this level is a 5,000-square-foot state-of-the-art fitness center that, in addition to cardio and strength building equipment, offers a fitness-on-demand studio as well self-guided digital workout mirrors. All of the amenity spaces have access to a new 4,000-square-foot outdoor terrace along the east side of the building, offering views to the Loop and the iconic Willis Tower.
Inside, the lobby is completely reimagined, incorporating a new monumental stair and a signature media screen. A new security desk is envisioned as a sculptural art form, serving as a central focal point within the generous volume of the lobby. Layered materials and textures of bleached maple, cold-rolled steel metal screens, and concrete floors offer a sophisticated urban ambiance and sense of welcome to the space. New retail spaces envisioned for cafes or bars open to the lobby, activating the space.
Building Size 850,000 SF / 21,000 SF project scope
Canal Station
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Built in 1955, Prudential Plaza is an iconic office building along Millennium Park in Chicago. Prudential added a second tower to the site in 1990 and connected it to the original building at its base. SCB led the design for the repositioning of the building through the addition of a new amenity program and re-envisioning of the lobby to attract the new generation of Class-A office tenants. The lobby showcases a 50-foot-long digital art wall and ceiling lighting to brighten and broadcast images to the exterior entry plaza. The building’s original structure is revealed in a 4,000-square-foot tenant lounge and a 10,000-square-foot modern fitness center featuring industrial lights, patterned ceiling panels, and original artwork. Rounding out the amenity program is a 12,000-square-foot rooftop terrace and park with tiered seating, an outdoor bar, and a boardwalk designed to take advantage of sweeping views of Millennium Park and Lake Michigan.
Prudential Plaza
Building Size 2.2 million GSF / 60,000 SF project scope
Location Chicago, IL
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111 S Wacker
The 29 th floor is home to a 400-seat double-height conference space. Inspired by the evening city lights, SCB selected back-lit perforated ceiling panels to create a soft lighting solution for the space. Stepped wall panels with cove lighting accentuate the high ceilings while creating visual movement and a dramatic impact. During the warmer months, tenants can take advantage of an outdoor terrace with expansive views of downtown.
With the modern office-user in mind, SCB designed three floors of unparalleled amenity space at 111 South Wacker, a Class-A office tower in Chicago’s Loop. The design for the spaces are highly influenced by a hospitality approach, emphasizing layers, texture, and a mix of industrial and natural materials to create a sophisticated, yet comfortable atmosphere. The 10 th and 11th floors focus on wellness and feature a renovated and expanded fitness center with a steam room, yoga studio, golf simulator, and shuffleboard. The 11 th floor also hosts a large tenant lounge and coffee bar designed with oversized pendant lighting, custom-made built-in banquettes, and an exposed wood ceiling. An interconnecting stair adds visual interest and an openness to the space, and also facilitates interaction between the two floors.
Location Chicago, IL Building Size 1.1 million SF / 40,000 SF indoor amenities + 600 SF outdoor project scope
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SCB was entrusted to reposition this iconic, Class-A asset in Chicago’s thriving North Michigan Avenue market. A minimal and modern glass canopy identifies and defines the building’s office tenant entrance, helping to distinguish it from the entry to the building’s observation deck. The interior design for the lobby reconceived the spatial character of the space and brought luster back into many of the original architectural finishes, coupled with modern upgrades. A large commissioned installation by internationally acclaimed artist Wolfgang Buttress utilizes light and reflectivity to create an ethereal art piece that breathes new life into the space.
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John CenterHancock
Location Chicago, IL
Building Size 640,000 SF / 9,000 SF project scope
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Location San Francisco, CA Size 10,000 project
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Building
scope
SF
521,500 SF /
405 Howard
Foundry Square is located in the East Cut of San Francisco’s SoMa district and is comprised of four architecturally-linked Class-A office buildings that share an internal, sky-lit lobby. This centralized lobby was under-utilized, serving as merely a pass through space between buildings. SCB was engaged to reimagine the space as an active social space for tenants. The geometry of the lobby’s cube-like volume is echoed in new, linear, wood-slatted partitions and angular furniture, while juxtaposed with sculptural wall art and abstract murals crafted by local artists. The use of glass paired with the existing skylight at the core creates an internal courtyard filled with an abundance of natural light. A variety of seating types and groupings in a light, fresh color palette welcomes users into the space and invites them to use the reimagined lobby to work, take a call, or meet with a colleague. The lobby’s flexible design now allows for the space to be used by tenants for all-staff meetings and the occasional office happy hour.
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Location Philadelphia, PA Size 5,000 SF
1735 Market
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SCB was engaged to reimagine the entry and lobby experience for 1735 Market, a 54-story office tower in downtown Philadelphia. As the first phase of a major repositioning strategy for the building, the design approach focused on creating a more significant presence for the main entrance to the building. A new illuminated glass canopy denotes the entry amid the street wall. By enclosing a former open-air vestibule with floor-to-ceiling glass and installing a bold, sculptural light installation to draw attention indoors, the new entry is more recognizable and welcoming to visitors and tenants, alike. The light installation mimics the tower’s iconic pyramidal form on the skyline. A material palette of granite walls, terrazzo flooring, and stainless steel accents visually connects the new enclosed vestibule to the existing lobby. Within the lobby, new lounge furniture with curved forms softens the linear and geometric nature of the interior space, while a new front desk provides a secure entry point to the two tenant elevator banks.
Design for a changing world.
Architecture | Interior Design | Planning www.scb.com